"彼とは話すつもりはない" マスクに線を引いたトランプ

トランプとマスクの同盟関係が破局

マスク、'弾劾支持'コメントを削除し

事態収拾に遅れて動き出したが

トランプ「彼とは終わったようだ」

‘マスク切り’の方針を維持

Donald Trump, the former US President, has declared that his relationship with Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and once one of his key allies, has ended. Musk tried to mend the situation by deleting his pro-'Trump impeachment' comment on social media, but Trump is maintaining his stance of distancing himself from Musk.

During a telephone interview with NBC News on the 7th (local time), when asked if he was willing to restore his relationship with Musk, Trump replied "No." When asked if he considered the relationship over, he said, "It seems so." He added, "I'm too busy with other matters," and "I have no intention of speaking with him."

Trump criticized Musk as having "behaved rudely," calling it "a very bad thing." He warned that if Musk, who opposed his ongoing budget proposal, were to support Democratic candidates to unseat Republican lawmakers who voted for it, "he would have to face very serious consequences."

Musk had previously extended full support to Trump during the presidential election and provided campaign funds. After Trump’s second term began, Musk was appointed as the head of the Office of Government Efficiency and played a key role in leading government spending cuts. However, cracks appeared between them when Musk openly voiced opposition to the President's economic budget proposal. On the 5th, during a summit with the German Chancellor, Trump openly criticized Musk, saying he was "highly disappointed," and Musk confronted Trump by expressing support for Trump's impeachment on social media. According to the Washington Post (WP), Trump referred to Musk as a "major drug addict" during a phone call with close aides that day, speculating that Musk's remarks might be influenced by substances.

WP reported that while the rift became public with this exchange, divisions between Trump and Musk had been deepening for some time. The White House harbored frustrations with Musk's unilateral policy approach, and Trump, growing increasingly distant, saw the dispute erupt recently. The decisive moment came when, in February, Musk’s Office of Government Efficiency sent an email to all federal employees requesting "five achievements from the past week." Even high-level officials were unaware of this directive in advance, causing a stir within the administration.

There are concerns that this conflict could materially affect Musk's business activities. WP reported that US government agencies such as NASA and the Department of Defense have begun looking for alternatives to SpaceX, Musk's space exploration company. After the clash between Trump and Musk, government officials reportedly contacted private space companies such as Rocket Lab, Stoke Space, and Blue Origin. They checked the technological development stage of each company and confirmed when they might be available for government missions.

On the 7th, Musk started damage control by deleting the controversial comment and expressing a commitment to continue SpaceX’s participation in NASA projects. Trump stated that while he holds the authority to revoke contracts signed between the federal government and Musk-owned companies like SpaceX, he is "not currently considering it."

Reporter Lim Dayeon allopen@hankyung.com