Trump admits rupture with Musk: "I'm very disappointed in Elon"

President Trump said Thursday he doesn't know if he and Elon Musk will still have "a great relationship" after the former DOGE head has spent days blasting the GOP's spending bill. Why it matters: The tight relationship between Trump and the Tesla CEO has been fracturing on public display.Driving the news: "Elon and I had a great relationship," Trump told reporters during an Oval Office appearance alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz Thursday. "I don't know if we will anymore."Asked about Musk's ongoing criticism, Trump said he was "very surprised."The president noted that Musk hasn't said anything "about me that's bad" but added he'd rather the billionaire "criticize me than the bill."Trump argued Musk was upset because "we took the EV mandate," in reference to the electric vehicle tax credit the legislation would kill.What he's saying: "I'm very disappointed in Elon," Trump said. "I've helped Elon a lot."He said Musk knew the "inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here."Trump added he thinks Musk "misses the place.""People leave my administration, and they love us, and then at some point they miss it so badly, and some of them embrace it, and some of them actually become hostile," Trump said.Friction point: While Trump was talking, Musk was posting on X."Whatever," he replied in a post that included a clip of Trump's Oval Office comments. "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.""Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill," Musk added.Context: The former DOGE head departed the Trump administration in May, and has since bashed the "one big, beautiful bill" as a "disgusting abomination."Since then, Musk has urged his followers on X to call their representatives to "KILL the BILL."Some House Republicans have privately revealed their frustration with Musk, including criticism of his competence in the White House.Zoom in: As of Tuesday, Musk and Trump remained friends and allies, Axios' Marc Caputo reported, but the president was bothered by his former adviser's social media rampage. Go deeper:Musk demands do-over on Trump budget billScoop: Four reasons Musk attacked Trump's "big beautiful bill"Republicans scramble to avoid a war with Elon Musk

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