In this captivating discussion, Joshua Green, a Bloomberg national correspondent known for his sharp political insights, and Dana Hull, a Bloomberg Musk reporter specializing in Tesla, dissect the escalating feud between Elon Musk and Donald Trump. They explore Trump's dramatic response to Musk's criticisms, including threats of deportation. Additionally, they tackle Tesla's recent leadership shake-ups and the mounting challenges in vehicle sales, providing a fascinating look at the intersection of business, politics, and the future of electric vehicles.
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insights INSIGHT
Musk Targets GOP Tax Bill
Elon Musk's political criticism stems from concerns over the GOP's tax bill and its impact on Tesla subsidies and the national debt.
Musk's tweets against the bill reflect frustration with policy changes that directly affect his companies' incentives.
insights INSIGHT
Trump Threatens Musk Deportation
Trump responded to Musk’s criticism by threatening to remove government subsidies and considering Musk's deportation.
The deportation idea was popularized by Steve Bannon, who has long feuded with Musk.
insights INSIGHT
Musk’s Limited Political Clout
Musk lacks the political influence to change votes despite his wealth and social media presence.
Trump’s endorsement remains the dominant factor in Republican primary contests, overshadowing Musk's efforts.
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The predictable second round of Elon Musk’s feud with Donald Trump began over the weekend as the Tesla CEO took aim at the GOP’s massive tax-and-spend bill. Specifically irking Musk (along with efforts to gut incentives to buy his cars) is the amount of money the bill would add to the $37 trillion national debt ($3.3 trillion over a decade, according to a new estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office). Trump initially kept his replies to the richest man on Earth muted, but as the South Africa-native’s broadsides piled up, the notoriously thin-skinned Republican president could no longer help himself.
Trump blew up and not only threatened to withdraw government subsidies from Musk’s companies but said he would mull whether to try and “denaturalize” Musk and deport him. Meanwhile, Musk suggested he’d support primary challenges to any Republican lawmaker who supported the bill, and returned to the idea of starting a third party—called the America Party (of course).
To make sense of all the chaos, Bloomberg national correspondent Joshua Green joins David Papadopoulos on this week’s episode of Elon, Inc. Green argues that—despite Musk’s hundreds of billions of dollars and hundreds of millions of social media followers (and bots)—there isn’t a huge constituency out there for a third party. Green also outlines the roots of a mini-campaign within Trump’s ultra-right wing base to get Musk deported, discusses Musk’s chances of actually convincing any lawmakers in the House (now that the Senate has passed the bill) to change their vote on Trump’s tax bill and predicts how many more rounds are left between him and his (one-time) biggest campaign donor.
Papadopoulos also calls up Musk reporter Dana Hull to talk about about fresh challenges for Tesla. With several recent high-profile leadership exits, a flawed robotaxi rollout and sagging sales, things aren’t looking rosy for the electric carmaker ahead of tomorrow’s quarterly sales numbers. “They might only sell like a million and a half units this year; that’s like a far cry from the 20 million that they once talked about” Hull notes.
Finally, Trump wasn’t the only subject of a Musk feuds this week. Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum recently threatened legal action against SpaceX due to debris from a rocket explosion sweeping in across the border from Texas. Is Musk’s space technology company ready for a spat with one of the few world leaders who has managed to tame Trump? Bloomberg Executive Editor Crayton Harrison joins for the full story.
Elon, Inc. 