Donald Trump has spoken out for the first time since Elon Musk, once a key figure in his administration, publicly criticised one of his signature policies and announced his departure from government.
Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, had served as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a role Trump appointed him to, crediting the billionaire with helping shape parts of his early administration.
However, tensions surfaced last week when Musk announced he was stepping down.
Days later, he called on Congress to reject Trump’s flagship tax plan, slamming it as fiscally irresponsible and accusing it of gutting electric vehicle incentives introduced under President Biden.
In an even sharper rebuke, Musk labelled Trump’s legislative centrepiece, the Big Beautiful Bill, “a bloated mess.”
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Trump addressed the fallout on Thursday, June 5, during a press briefing at the Oval Office, ahead of his meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
“Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore,” Trump told reporters. “He hasn’t said bad about me personally, but I’m sure that’ll be next. But I’m very disappointed … I’ve helped Elon a lot.”
The former president suggested that Musk’s criticism followed a familiar pattern he’s seen from others who left his administration.
“He’s not the first. People leave my administration and they love us and then at some point they miss it so badly, and some of them embrace it and some of them actually become hostile,” he said.
“I don’t know what it is, it’s sort of Trump derangement syndrome, I guess they call it. … The glamor is gone, the whole world is different, and they become hostile. I’m very disappointed.”