Trump tells CBS News he’s focused on moving forward with his presidency, not on Musk
In a phone conversation Friday morning, President Trump told chief Washington analyst for CBS News Robert Costa that he’s moving forward with his presidency today, and “totally” focused on domestic and foreign policy matters — not on Musk and their public feud. He also cast this moment as a positive one economically, even as many of his supporters and critics are paying close attention to Musk’s attacks on his administration.
“That’s all I focus on,” Mr. Trump said of his presidency. “I don’t focus on anything else. That’s why I have my highest poll numbers.”
“It’s going really well,” the president added. “The country is doing great, has never done so well. Jobs numbers are great, everything is good.”
According to two sources close to the president who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations, the atmosphere at the White House this morning is muted about Musk. The president, they said, is unhappy with him. But the prsident also finds him to be “immature” and “acting out,” as one source described Mr. Trump’s view of the situation.
“This is a fluid thing and a lot can happen. It’s wait and see, wait and see what happens, what Musk does, how the president digests it,” one of the sources said. “We’re all not going to get ahead of this and he’s just doing what he always does, be the president and keep on moving.”
Trump is thinking about selling his Tesla
AP
A senior administration official said Mr. Trump is thinking about selling the Tesla he purchased earlier this year.
In March, the president said that he would buy a Tesla “as a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk.” Several models of the vehicle were displayed on the driveway at the White House for Mr. Trump to shop from and he ultimately selected a red Model S, which starts at around $80,000.
Mr. Trump told reporters then that he would write a check for the car and leave it at the White House for his staff to use.
Musk seeks call with Trump
On the heels of their public spat, Musk is seeking a call with Mr. Trump. A call hasn’t taken place, a source familiar with the discussions told CBS News. The source said Mr. Trump hasn’t elected to schedule a call with Musk.
A second source told CBS News that the president isn’t interested in speaking with Musk.
How Trump and Musk’s relationship has unfolded over the years — from feud to alliance and back again
The alliance between President Trump and Elon Musk went up in flames Thursday, days after the world’s richest man left the administration and tried to wield his influence to kill a massive budget bill that is central to enacting the president’s top legislative priorities.
Their spat played out in public and marked another remarkable turn for Musk, who spent tens of millions on Mr. Trump’s reelection campaign and was given the reins to slash the size of the federal government. Here’s a look back at how Mr. Trump and Musk got here.
By Caitlin Yilek and Joe Walsh