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Signs show Trump-Musk rift appears to be ending
In what appears to be a brief thaw in the heated feud between Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump, the tech billionaire reshared a Truth Social post by the MAGA supremo targeting California governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. This moment of alignment comes after a week of bitter exchanges between the two, which included Musk’s explosive claim that Trump appeared in Jeffrey Epstein’s files and Trump branding Musk as “Crazy.” The Truth Social post addressed the ongoing riots in Los Angeles, where thousands have protested against the Trump administration’s immigration policies, including recent ICE detentions. The unrest escalated to the point where the National Guard was deployed to control the large-scale demonstrations.
Trump wrote: "Governor Gavin Newscum and “Mayor” Bass should apologize to the people of Los Angeles for the absolutely horrible job that they have done, and this now includes the ongoing L.A. riots. These are not protesters, they are troublemakers and insurrectionists. Remember, NO MASKS!" Protesters set fire to vehicles, threw objects, and chanted slogans against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, which resulted in the arrest of several people alleged to be undocumented immigrants and gang members.
These raids sparked outrage within Los Angeles’s large Latino community. Despite this apparent moment of unity, Musk and Trump have grown distant since Musk’s controversial claims regarding the Epstein files, which he later retracted. Tensions have also risen since March, when Trump curtailed the powers of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a unit Musk had headed. Musk formally stepped down from his role at DOGE on May 1 during a low-key White House ceremony, where Trump thanked him for his service and presented him with a ceremonial “golden key” to the White House. The tech entrepreneur has also criticised Trump’s “one big beautiful bill,” expressing concerns that the Office of Budget and Budgetary Bureau (OBBB) would significantly increase the US public debt. Unable to sway Trump or Republican lawmakers, Musk launched a “Kill the Bill” campaign on X, leading to a public and heated showdown with the president. In a recent interview aboard Air Force One, when asked about Elon Musk and Tesla’s future, Trump reassured, “He’ll be ok.”Musk was the main right-hand for Trump’s Oval Office bid in the 2024 presidential campaign and went toe to toe with Trump on governmental policies while also downplaying Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
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