Musk–Trump rift: Direct talks unlikely; White House aides may engage- report
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk may soon engage with White House aides as tensions with US President Donald Trump continue, though a direct conversation between the two men appears unlikely for now.According to Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy, a senior White House official confirmed that no call between Trump and Musk is currently scheduled. “Musk wants a call. POTUS hasn’t made a decision,” a source familiar with the situation told Fox News, indicating that Trump is not expected to speak with Musk, at least on Friday.While a direct dialogue is off the table for now, White House staffers signaled to Doocy that administration personnel could still attempt to communicate with Musk. This comes amid a month-long buildup of frustration on Trump’s end, reportedly fueled by Musk’s growing public criticism of the President’s signature legislative proposal.Also read: Donald Trump ‘not interested’ in talking to Musk; says billionaire ‘has lost his mind’The rift intensified this week after Musk publicly condemned Trump’s much-touted spending proposal- dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill”- calling it a “disgusting abomination” and slamming it as “pork-filled Congressional waste.”On Thursday, the feud escalated further when Musk made a stunning allegation on his social platform X: “@RealDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!” He followed it with a cryptic message: “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”The White House responded with restraint. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described Musk’s comments as “an unfortunate episode” driven by his disappointment that the bill lacks provisions he supported. “The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again,” she said.Trump, for his part, fired back on Truth Social, claiming he cut ties with Musk and ended government support for electric vehicles, a move he said Musk knew was coming. “Elon was ‘wearing thin,’ I asked him to leave,” Trump wrote. “I took away his EV Mandate… and he just went CRAZY!” Trump said.He also hinted at further action against Musk’s business interests, suggesting the government could save “billions and billions of dollars” by terminating Musk’s subsidies and contracts.Meanwhile, a red Tesla vehicle reportedly purchased by Trump earlier this year during a Tesla demonstration on the White House South Lawn is now set to be removed or sold. As of Friday, the Florida-registered car remained parked near the White House on West Executive Drive.
