The signs continue to point to all-out war: in a fierce dispute, US President Donald Trump now wants to deal another blow to his former advisor Elon Musk by selling or giving away the red Tesla he presented together with the Tesla boss in front of the White House.

At the beginning of the year, the relationship between Donald Trump and Elon Musk was characterized by mutual respect and symbolic closeness: The US president proudly presented himself at the White House with a red Tesla Model S, which he had demonstratively purchased in March. Now, however, nothing remains of this harmony – the former shoulder-to-shoulder relationship has given way to open discord.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, President Trump is now considering getting rid of his Tesla – either by selling it or giving it away as a demonstrative gift. The vehicle was last seen parked in front of the West Wing of the White House, according to the newspaper, citing a senior government official.

The purchase of the electric car had originally caused quite a stir: in a kind of media-effective advertising show at the White House, Trump wanted to support Tesla, which was struggling with declining sales figures. Despite earlier skepticism about electric vehicles, Trump enthusiastically declared at the time, “I love Tesla,” and marveled at the vehicle’s high-tech features, saying, “It’s all computers, that’s beautiful. Wow.”

No phone call “with the man who lost his mind”

But in retrospect, this staging seems almost surreal. The relationship between the president and the tech billionaire has cooled in record time. On Thursday, Trump publicly announced that he was no longer interested in talking to Musk. In a telephone interview with ABC News, when asked about a planned exchange, the president replied, “You mean the man who lost his mind?” The White House added that Trump categorically refused to talk to Musk, despite the latter’s alleged desire for a clarifying phone call.

The dispute eventually escalated in public. Trump described Musk as “crazy” on social media, prompting the Tesla and SpaceX boss to post a series of sharp attacks against the president on X (formerly Twitter). Musk even suggested impeachment proceedings against Trump. Trump, in turn, threatened to withdraw government contracts from Musk’s companies.

Just a few days ago, the relationship seemed intact: at a farewell event in the Oval Office to mark Musk’s resignation as “special advisor to the president,” Trump praised him in the highest terms and symbolically

Image: APA