Unisa, University in Pretoria, South Africa

US President Donald Trump took a jibe at Tesla CEO Elon Musk. He warned him that without subsidies from the American government, he would have to go back home to South Africa. In a post on X, Trump stated that he knew long before endorsing him for President that Trump was against the EV mandate. He said that electric vehicles are fine, but making it mandatory for everyone was not. He said that everyone should not be forced to own one. The US president also recommended that DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, which Musk once commanded, should now probe the extent of subsidies coming to Musk’s firms. This follows Musk's stronger criticism of President Trump's "big, beautiful bill," which he described as "political suicide for the Republican Party."Donald Trump posted on X, “Elon Musk knew, long before he so strongly Endorsed me for President, that I was strongly against the EV Mandate. It is ridiculous, and was always a major part of my campaign. Electric cars are fine, but not everyone should be forced to own one. Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa. No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE. Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!! (TS: 01 Jul 04:44 UTC)”When Musk and Trump's relationship broke off in an all-out social media feud over the bill in early June, Trump had previously threatened to cut off Musk's government contracts and subsidies, which nonpartisan analysts have estimated would increase the U.S. debt by almost $3 trillion. Among Musk's companies are SpaceX, a rocket company and government contractor with over $22 billion in federal contracts, and Starlink, its satellite division.His disagreement with Trump also contributed to Tesla's volatility; on June 5, the electric vehicle manufacturer's stock dropped by around $150 billion, the most in a single day in its history, though it has since rebounded.Also Read: Trump administration escalates legal battles with Los AngelesIn a post on X, Musk referred to the measure as "utterly insane and destructive" before returning to the topic on Saturday as the Senate took up the issue, after weeks of largely quiet discussion following his initial dispute with Trump over it.He said on Monday that politicians who supported the package after running on a platform of expenditure cuts "should hang their heads in shame!" "And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth," Musk stated. Musk reiterated his support for the creation of a new political party, claiming that the enormous expenditures of the bill demonstrated "that we live in a one-party country – the PORKY PIG PARTY!!"After spending almost $300 million on Trump's reelection campaign and spearheading the administration's contentious DOGE cost-cutting plan, Musk's criticism signalled a significant change.Musk has maintained that the bill will eliminate the savings he claims he made through DOGE and significantly raise the national debt.The extent of Musk's influence over Congress and the potential impact of his views on the bill's passage are still unknown. However, Republicans are worried that his intermittent conflict with Trump may make it more difficult for them to hold onto their majority in the 2026 midterm elections.

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