President Donald Trump assured reporters that he'll "take a look" when it comes to deporting Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk from the US. Trump made the remarks earlier this morning in Washington as he prepared to leave for Florida. The President's latest remarks about his once close ally come as the feud between the pair escalates once again after Musk's vocal opposition to Trump's Big Beautiful Bill, currently being debated in Congress.
Elon Musk Says He Will "Refrain" From Escalating Latest Row With President Trump
Musk, who is a first-generation immigrant to the US, has seen his immigrant status come under the limelight several times. Under the previous administration run by President Biden, talk of the President canceling his US citizenship surfaced after claims that Musk had worked while on a student visa in the US. While US student visa holders are allowed to work during their time in the country, the process is carefully monitored by their universities to ensure their jobs are related to their education.
Now, after Musk amped up his criticism of President Trump's legislation yesterday, the President commented that his administration would "have to take a look" when asked whether he would consider deporting the Tesla and SpaceX CEO. Musk, with a net worth of $406 billion according to Forbes Magazine, is the richest individual on Earth, mostly due to his stake in Tesla.
Tesla's shares are struggling in the market today after analysts and sales data from Europe point toward a persistent vehicle sales slowdown. After being down by 5.8% in premarket trading, the stock opened 6.9% lower today.
Throughout their latest feud, President Trump has insisted that Musk is opposed to Trump's legislation because it eliminates incentives for consumers to buy electric vehicles. While the Tesla CEO has insisted that this is not the case and has gone so far as to suggest completely removing the incentives, the President maintained his viewpoint in his press talk earlier today.
"We might have to put DOGE on Elon," said Trump, referring to the agency Musk set up to reduce US government spending. "You know what DOGE is? The monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn't that be terrible? He gets a lot of subsidies," the President added.
"Elon's very upset that the EV mandate is going to be terminated. And you know what, when you look at it, not everybody wants an electric car!" Trump continued. "I don't want an electric car; I want to have, maybe gasoline, maybe electric, maybe a hybrid. Maybe someday a hydrogen," he said.
After an X user quoted Trump, Musk took note of the President's remarks about him. "So tempting to escalate this," Musk wrote. "So, so tempting. But I will refrain for now," he added.
In an earlier post on his Truth Social platform, the President had speculated that if his government took away subsidies enjoyed by Musk's companies, "Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa."
About the author: Ramish is a seasoned technology writer and editor with more than a decade of experience. He specializes in semiconductor fabrication and market analysis. With a background in finance and supply chain management - via his bachelors in Finance and a micromasters in supply chain management from MIT - Ramish combines financial rigor with deep industry insight to deliver accurate and authoritative coverage.
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