President Donald Trump has been “saddened” to watch his former ally, tech titan Elon Musk, go “off the rails,” the president said on Sunday.
Trump warned against Musk’s bid to start a new third party to challenge Republicans and Democrats. Trump said the venture was doomed and would prove counterproductive.
“I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely ‘off the rails,’ essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks. He even wants to start a Third Political Party, despite the fact that they have never succeeded in the United States — The System seems not designed for them,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
“The one thing Third Parties are good for is the creation of Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS, and we have enough of that with the Radical Left Democrats, who have lost their confidence and their minds!” he continued.
Trump attributed Musk’s pique at the administration and the landmark “One Big, Beautiful Bill” to the bill’s abolishment of the tax credits for electric vehicles and the elimination of the electric vehicle mandate.
The president said that Musk had previously expressed support for stripping away federal support for electric vehicles.
“I have campaigned on this for two years and, quite honestly, when Elon gave me his total and unquestioned Endorsement, I asked him whether or not he knew that I was going to terminate the EV Mandate — It was in every speech I made, and in every conversation I had. He said he had no problems with that — I was very surprised!” Trump posted.
Musk on Saturday suggested that his main issue with Trump’s signature legislation is not its impact on EV subsidies, but its overall price tag.
“Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill. In the entire history of civilization, there has never been legislation that both big and beautiful. Everyone knows this!,” Musk posted on X.
Trump’s post on Sunday also referenced his decision to pull the nomination of Jared Isaacman, a friend of Musk’s who the billionaire wanted heading the federal space agency — which Musk’s SpaceX works closely with on space exploration and Mars colonization.
“[W]hile I thought his friend was very good, I was surprised to learn that he was a blue blooded Democrat, who had never contributed to a Republican before. Elon probably was, also. I also thought it inappropriate that a very close friend of Elon, who was in the Space Business, run NASA, when NASA is such a big part of Elon’s corporate life,” Trump posted. “My Number One charge is to protect the American Public!”