Trump publicly addresses his feud with Elon Musk, DOGE efforts and Tesla subsidies

In an interview held aboard Air Force One on Friday, President Donald Trump addressed his strained relationship with Elon Musk, where he also brushed off concerns about the Tesla CEO’s personal controversies. 

The interview, held in Washington with a small group of reporters, was Trump’s most extensive remarks on Musk since the two started quarreling on social media.

When asked if he would consider canceling federal contracts with Musk’s companies if elected again, Trump responded: “We’ll take a look at everything.” The POTUS reiterated that any decision must be “fair for him and for the country.” 

“He’s got a lot of money. He gets a lot of subsidy. So we’ll take a look at that. Only if it’s fair. Only if it’s fair for him and for the country, I would certainly think about it, yeah,” Trump reckoned.

The president also sidestepped questions about reopening investigations into Musk’s business practices, insisting that he had “no idea whether or not they had an investigation” and that he would let the relevant agencies speak for themselves.

Questions on Musk’s drug use

When asked about the chatter about Musk’s alleged drug use while operating companies under government contracts, Trump declined to comment directly. 

“I don’t want to comment on his drug use. I don’t know. I don’t know what his status is. I read an article in the New York Times. I thought it was, frankly, it sounded very unfair to me,” he surmised.

Trump told the reporters that he is focused on national and international affairs rather than personal issues involving Musk. “I’m not thinking about Elon,” Trump said. “I just wish him well.”

Tesla, DOGE, and ‘the key’

Trump was also questioned about the figurative “key” to the White House given to Musk last week when the latter officially exited the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Asked if he would want that key returned, Trump replied, “I gave him a key. He tried very hard.”

The US president praised the DOGE co-founder for “helping his administration a lot,” and added that “It helped our thinking.” He also claimed that Musk’s involvement in the initiative saved “hundreds of billions of dollars” and described the outcome as “terrific.” 

According to Trump, many individuals who worked with Musk during that period are still involved with current Republican efforts, and “they’re going to remain with us.”

“A lot of good things are happening with our country. We’re taking in billions of dollars of tariff money. The money is pouring in. And it hasn’t even started yet, really, relatively. We’re going to have a very successful country very soon and a very strong bill,” he continued.

Despite Musk’s once-close advisory role, Trump confirmed he has no plans to reach out to the billionaire entrepreneur, and rejected rumors of behind-the-scenes efforts to reconcile, stating: 

“A lot of reporters have been calling me. I didn’t call any reporter. A lot of reporters, they ask me the same question. No, I don’t. I’m not even thinking about that. I’m not really interested in that. I’m really interested in the country and solving problems.” 

Foreign policies and meetings with world leaders

Throughout the interview, Trump steered the conversation to the global crises and what he described as the country’s recent economic successes. He claimed credit for the latest stock market rally and job growth figures, asserting that the US economy is “doing better than it’s ever done before.”

“A lot of jobs are being created. That’s what happened this morning. You saw the jobs. And the nice part, they’re not government jobs. They’re jobs of people coming in and doing other things, including hotel and leisures,” the president boasted.

He also talked about the Federal Reserve, bashing Chair Jerome Powell and repeating his call for interest rate cuts. “If we had a good Fed chairman, you would lower rates,” he beckoned.

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