Nationwide — A heated public conflict erupted as we speak between former allies President Donald Trump and billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk, marking a dramatic flip of their once-close relationship. The fallout started at a White Home occasion the place Trump mentioned he was “very disenchanted” in Musk, following the Tesla and SpaceX CEO’s harsh criticism of a serious Republican legislative proposal. In a shocking escalation, New York Post stories that Musk has now referred to as for Trump to be impeached and changed by Vice President JD Vance, signaling that their political and private cut up has reached an irreversible breaking level.
Musk had introduced his departure from the administration final month, saying his work was full and that it was time to “transfer on.” On the time, lawmakers near Musk downplayed the transfer as routine. Nonetheless, tensions escalated when Musk referred to as Trump’s sweeping home invoice — dubbed the “Large, Lovely Invoice” — a “disgusting abomination.” Musk cited its projected impression on the federal deficit however denied that his opposition was tied to the invoice’s elimination of electrical car tax credit, regardless of hypothesis on the contrary.
In response, Trump steered Musk’s criticisms have been disingenuous, claiming the billionaire “knew the invoice in and out” and solely raised objections after leaving his publish. Trump implied Musk’s disapproval stemmed from the lack of federal help for electrical autos, though there has by no means been a nationwide EV mandate. The president additional hinted at retaliation, elevating the opportunity of canceling SpaceX and Tesla’s profitable federal contracts, which have included work with NASA and the U.S. navy.
Musk rapidly responded on his platform, X, publicly denying Trump’s claims and asserting he was by no means aligned with the invoice’s provisions. He went a step additional, claiming Trump and Republican leaders wouldn’t have received the 2024 election with out his help. Musk even polled followers about forming a brand new political get together and accused the president of being named in unreleased Jeffrey Epstein recordsdata — a declare he didn’t substantiate. CNN reported that Musk didn’t present proof of entry to these sealed paperwork, and the White Home has but to remark.
Because the feud intensified, Musk endorsed a publish calling for Trump’s impeachment and steered Vice President JD Vance ought to assume the presidency. “Sure,” Musk wrote in reply to a consumer who claimed Elon would defeat Trump in a political showdown. In one other putting announcement, Musk mentioned SpaceX would start decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft — a transfer that would severely disrupt operations on the Worldwide House Station, the place Dragon performs a essential position in cargo and crew transport.
The Dragon spacecraft, in response to SpaceX, is the one lively car able to returning vital cargo from area and might carry as much as seven passengers. Its significance to NASA missions was evident final yr when it safely returned two astronauts who have been stranded on the ISS on account of points with a Boeing transport module. If Musk follows via on halting Dragon operations, the results for U.S. area missions could possibly be extreme — probably placing nationwide area technique in jeopardy amid a deepening political and private feud.
