Featured Image Credit: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images/Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Politics, US News
Rhianna Benson
Topics: Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Politics, US News
Elon Musk has alluded to a rough patch in his professional relationship with President Trump in a bombshell new interview.
The tech boss - who was made the Trump's Department of Government Efficiency co-lead following his January inauguration - undertook an interview with Bloomberg's Mishal Husain this week, during which he was questioned about his powerful position.
Earlier this year, 53-year-old Musk was accused of planning a 'hostile takeover' of the United States government after he lifted the lid on plans to cut spending. Despite insisting the measures made 'common sense' and were 'not draconian or radical', thousands of federal workers received threats of firings, with the Tesla CEO flexing his new power to circumvent conflict of interest/transparency requirements.
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It is understood that Musk, who happens to be the richest person in the world, donated a vast proportion of his personal funds into his political campaigns, which have always had 78-year-old Trump's full backing.
More recently, however, reports have been doing the rounds online suggesting that Trump and Musk have endured a falling out.
Just last month, the President was alleged to have told cabinet members that his billionaire compadre was to be removed from his position in the 'coming weeks'. Musk later responded by branding the speculation 'fake news'.
This week, though, in a shock twist, Musk has now hinted that trouble might very well be on the horizon, by vowing to decrease the amount of money he plies into right-wing politics for the time being.
Speaking to Bloomberg via video interview at the Qatar Economic Forum on Tuesday (20 May), the father-of-13 was asked about his immediate professional plans, to which he coolly replied: "I think, in terms of political spending, I’m going to do a lot less in the future."
Journalist Mishal Husain then prompted Musk, asking him: "And why is that?"
The entrepreneur then responded with a straight face and a simple five-word statement: "I think I've done enough."
Later, the reporter in question asked whether his financial decision had been swayed by political tensions, after which Musk evaded the subject.
"If I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it. I do not currently see a reason," he added.
The surprise remark hasn't gone unnoticed by millions of spectators, many of whom shared footage of Musk's interview and interpreted it as confirmation of his and Trump's rumoured estrangement.
One wrote online: "Oh this breakup is worse than we expected. Good."
"Some see breakup, some others see lessons taken," another added.
A third jibed of their allegedly fragmented relationship: "Trump destroys everything he touches. But this particular one, I don't mind at all."
"He looks different, he's in a bad and dark state right now it seems. Did Trump abandon him too?" questioned another.
In the last year, the SpaceX boss is understood to have dropped a whopping $300m on support for Trump, specifically on the Republican's re-election campaign against Democratic leader Kamala Harris.
He is also said to have dropped a further $25m on a Wisconsin Supreme Court election earlier this year, but he'd already fallen out of favour with the public by the time it rolled around.
As such, the Democrats capitalised on his lack of popularity - which is also said to have effected his Tesla car sales - during said election.
Awkward!