Elon Musk has weighed in after Donald Trump made comments suggesting the tech billionaire might have to leave the country.
Once known for their mutual admiration, Musk and Trump’s relationship has devolved into a very bitter public feud, playing out across social media and political headlines.
The rift began after Musk’s exit from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an initiative tied to the Trump administration. While some reports claimed Musk was fired, he maintained that his departure had always been planned.
Soon after leaving DOGE, Musk openly criticized Trump’s divisive "Big, Beautiful Bill," referring to the legislation as an “abomination.” The criticism marked a turning point in their alliance, with tensions escalating from there.
Recently, amid Trump’s ongoing crackdown on immigration, the former president was asked whether Musk (who was born in South Africa) might face deportation.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said (per the Daily Mail): "[Musk is] upset that he’s losing his EV mandate. He could lose a lot more than that, I can tell you right now. Elon could lose a lot more than that."
When pressed on whether deportation could be on the table, Trump added: "I don’t know, we’ll have to take a look. We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn’t that be terrible? He gets a lot of subsidies. Elon’s very upset that the EV mandate is going to be terminated."
Musk responded shortly after, replying to a video clip of Trump’s remarks on Twitter: "So tempting to escalate this. So, so tempting. But I will refrain for now."
The comment, subtle but ominous, follows a series of bold accusations Musk has made about Trump since leaving DOGE.
In a tweet that was later deleted, Musk wrote last month: "Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!"
However, Musk appeared to walk back some of his more incendiary claims days later, admitting he may have crossed a line. "I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far." he said.
The White House also addressed the controversy, labeling Musk’s claims a distraction. An official commented that it was an "unfortunate episode" from the multibillionaire, per Newsweek.