Musk says Trump would have lost 2024 race without him as row intensifies

WASHINGTON

Tech billionaire Elon Musk said Thursday that President Donald Trump would have lost the 2024 US election without his support, and further suggested that it may be time for the country to establish a new political party.

"Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate," Musk wrote on X. "Such ingratitude."

Musk further posted a poll asking his over 220 million followers if it is time to form a new political party in the US. While the poll still has 23 hours to conclude, over 84% of respondents said it is time to do so.

The comments, and the apparent testing of the political waters, mark the latest escalation in the growing feud between the once-close political allies after Musk departed the White House where he led Trump's government slashing effort.

Trump said earlier Thursday that he is "very disappointed" with Musk amid the tech billionaire's campaign against the president's signature spending and tax bill.

The president suggested that Musk's criticism of the "big, beautiful bill" may be rooted in jealousy. "I think he misses the place. I think he got out there and all of a sudden he wasn't in this beautiful Oval Office," he said.

"I'm very disappointed, because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here, better than you people. He knew everything about it. He had no problem with it. All of a sudden, he had a problem, and he only developed the problem when he found out that we're going to have to cut the EV mandate," Trump said in the Oval Office as he hosted German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

The "EV mandate" refers to a long-standing one-time tax credit of up to $7,500 for those who purchase electric vehicles.

Shares of Tesla were sharply lower in late-day trading Thursday, with the auto manufacturer down 10% amid the intensifying row.

Musk quickly responded with a post on X with "whatever," and rebutted Trump's suggestion that he had even seen the bill before he left the White House, calling the claim "false." He acknowledged, however, that some of his opposition stems from the elimination of the electric vehicle tax credit.

"This bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!" he wrote.

"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! Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill. Slim and beautiful is the way," he added.

Musk on Wednesday ramped up his crusade to convince lawmakers to kill Trump's "big, beautiful bill," which is estimated to add $2.42 trillion to US budget deficits over the next decade.

"Bankrupting America is NOT ok!" Musk posted Wednesday on X.