U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed disinterest in engaging with Tesla CEO Elon Musk amid an escalating public dispute between the two influential figures, according to a senior official in the White House who spoke with NBC News on Friday morning.
The two billionaires found themselves in a heated exchange on Thursday over Musk’s persistent critiques of Trump’s proposed tax legislation.
In a bold statement, Trump remarked that Musk, once one of his key advisors, had gone “crazy,” hinting at potential repercussions, including the termination of federal contracts involving Musk’s ventures such as SpaceX.
Musk retaliated by pointing out that Trump would not have attained the presidency without his substantial financial backing. He accused the President of ungratefulness, specifically criticizing Trump’s assertion that Musk’s presence in the administration had become burdensome.
The Tesla CEO further stirred controversy by indicating that SpaceX would retire its Dragon spacecraft, the only operational U.S. vehicle for transporting crew to and from the International Space Station, although he later clarified his intention to keep Dragon operational.
In remarks to CNN, Trump stated, “No. I won’t be speaking to him for a while I guess, but I wish him well,” adding, “I’m not even thinking about Elon. He’s got a problem. The poor guy’s got a problem.”
Susie Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff, also confirmed to NBC News that there were “no plans for that today,” addressing speculation about a potential call between the two, which a Politico report suggested was being arranged by White House aides to mediate their conflict.
However, an official from the administration indicated that while there were no scheduled discussions at present, efforts to “de-escalate a very unfortunate situation” could materialize in the future.
“There are no calls on the books, at least not now,” the official noted.
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