Elon Musk and Donald Trump may now be in a social partnership, but a report from Politico reveals how strained their relationship was when they first met at the White House in 2020.
After learning about Musk’s plans to start a Tesla factory in Mexico rather than Texas, Trump had planned the appointment. According to Politico, a person who overheard Musk at the White House said the billionaire personally called Trump” a f—ing fool” before their conversation.
Musk officially compared the White House to Chinese buildings during the conference. ” We walk into the Oval, and he sort of appears around, and he’s looking around”, the source told Politico. ” He’s like,’ Gosh, I tell you. I was in China, and person, the White House kind of seems like an outhouse.
While Larry Kudlow, then-National Economic Council Director, and four other staff members stood by in silence, Trump was said to have quietly fumed at the note. The meeting also revealed Trump’s ignorance with Tesla’s public community, prompting Musk and a partner to reveal its functionality.
Despite their differences, Musk and Trump reportedly agreed that Covid-19, which had not yet escalated into a world health problems, was “basically the virus and people are freaking out for no cause”, Politico reported.
In 2017, Musk had formerly served on the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative and the Strategic and Policy Forum as members of three advisory councils run by the Trump presidency. Nevertheless, he resigned when Trump withdrew from the Paris Climate Accords. ” Am departing political authorities”, Musk had announced on X. ” Climate change is real. For America or the earth, leaving Paris is bad.
Conflicts resurfaced in 2022 when Trump criticized Musk at a campaign event, telling the Tesla CEO,” Trump hangs up his hat and sails into the dusk.” A day later, Trump fired again on Truth Social, claiming Musk had again sought his support with government grants. Trump had written, sharing a photo of them posing together in the Oval Office,” When Elon Musk approached the White House asking me for assistance with all of his numerous subsidized projects, I could have said, “drop to your knees and beg,” and he would have done it.
Despite earlier conflicts, Musk’s substantial funds to the GOP in the 2024 poll helped repair their marriage. However, their powerful remains unstable. According to journalist Michael Wolff’s text on Trump’s 2024 campaign, Trump was baffled by Musk’s behaviour at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where Musk vigorously bounced around onscreen, at times baring his chest. ” What the f**k is wrong with this guy? And why doesn’t his top healthy”? Trump officially said.
Trump gave Musk a new role in directing efforts to reduce federal spending through the newly established Department of Government Effectiveness, which would add to their complex relationship.
