War has now been declared between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. The alliance between the two powerful men has shattered, and their escalating feud has now reached a stunning new level: Trump was asked on Tuesday if he would deport Musk, who was born in South Africa but became a U.S. citizen in 2002.
“Are you going to deport Elon Musk?” a reporter asked the president.
“I don’t know,” Trump responded, before adding ominously, “We’ll have to take a look.”
He then threatened to use a weapon that Musk knows intimately, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Musk himself once led. “We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? The DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn’t that be terrible?”
This public threat follows a fiery overnight post on Truth Social, where Trump first deployed the nativist insult. After Musk launched a series of scathing attacks against the president’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Trump fired back.
“Elon may get more subsidies than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa,” Trump wrote. “No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE.”
Conflict between the two men reignited late last week as the Senate prepared to vote on the president’s signature bill. The legislation is a direct threat to Musk’s businesses, as it completely eliminates the $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles and imposes new taxes on the clean energy sector. In response, Musk threatened to create a third political party if the bill passes.
Trump’s response also targeted the EV industry directly. “Elon [Musk] can lose more than that,” Trump told reporters Tuesday. “Not everyone wants an electric car. I don’t want an electric car.”
A few minutes after the president’s remarks to reporters, Musk responded on his platform, X, with defiant restraint. “So tempting to escalate this,” the Tesla and SpaceX founder said. “So, so tempting. But I will refrain for now.”
So tempting to escalate this. So, so tempting. But I will refrain for now.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 1, 2025
The market, however, has reacted with less restraint. Following the president’s comments, Tesla’s stock dropped nearly 7% as trading began on Tuesday.
