Trump Is Losing Patience With Musk’s Outbursts Over Megabill
Billionaire’s attacks on Trump’s tax bill are fraying his ties with the president
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https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy...b?st=2EV2Ho&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
“… A senior White House official said Trump wasn’t happy about Musk’s decision
to lambaste his signature legislation, describing the president as confused as to why the
Tesla chief executive decided to ratchet up his criticism after working so closely with the president for four months. The official said senior Trump advisers were caught off guard by Musk’s latest offensive.
The uneasy alliance between the two men was also strained by a recent move by the White House to nix Trump’s nominee to run NASA, Jared Isaacman, according to people familiar with the matter. Musk, a close ally of Isaacman, had advocated for him to get the job.
The decision infuriated Musk, who complained to associates over the weekend that he had donated hundreds of millions of dollars to help get Trump elected in last year’s campaign, only to see Isaacman’s nomination pulled, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said. Musk’s frustration over the NASA episode made him more willing to aggressively criticize the tax bill, people close to him said. Musk didn’t respond to a request for comment….
Asked whether Trump and Musk continue to have a strong relationship, a White House official said it was too soon to tell. The official said that Trump could be forgiving, but that he doesn’t forget slights like this.
Even before the billionaire’s ramped-up attacks on the tax bill, some Trump allies worried that Musk would feel more free to criticize the administration after he left the White House. Some administration officials encouraged lawmakers on Capitol Hill to post positive social-media posts thanking Musk for his service out of hope such praise could avoid future confrontations, according to people familiar with the effort.
Musk has long harbored frustrations with the tax bill, raising concerns about provisions in the legislation that repeal tax credits for electric vehicles, people close to him said. Musk’s car company, Tesla, is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of electric vehicles. He is also the founder of SpaceX, which has government contracts with NASA. Isaacman has ties to SpaceX, including flying on the company’s first private flight to orbit.
White House officials privately dismissed Musk’s criticisms, arguing that he was focused on his business interests rather than the public interest.…”