Donald Trump issues warning to Elon Musk - 'head back home to South Africa'

A feud between Donald Trump and Elon Musk exploded into public view again, as the US president took to Truth Social to attack the billionaire entrepreneur, telling him to "head back home to South Africa" and accusing him of surviving on government handouts.

The outburst followed a string of fiery posts by Musk on X (formerly Twitter), in which he condemned Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill, known among critics as the "big beautiful bill." Musk, who has clashed with Trump in recent weeks, accused politicians who backed the legislation of hypocrisy and pledged to help unseat them.

"Those who campaigned on cutting spending but voted for this should hang their heads in shame," Musk wrote. "And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth."

He also threatened to launch a poster campaign featuring the faces of lawmakers who supported the bill, labelling them "liars" who voted to increase America's debt by $5 trillion.

Trump fired back within hours in a pointed Truth Social post, stating: "Elon Musk knew, long before he so strongly endorsed me for President, that I was strongly against the EV Mandate... Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa.

"No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE."

Trump also mocked Musk's role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a department created under Trump's administration and tasked with slashing federal bureaucracy, which Musk claimed had saved billions by firing over 120,000 federal employees.

Musk, who contributed at least $250 million to Trump's 2024 campaign, has since turned on the president over the latest bill, calling it "utterly insane and destructive" and accusing the administration of bloating national debt while undermining his cost-cutting efforts at DOGE.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO went further in recent weeks, branding the legislation a "disgusting abomination" and even posting, then deleting, an explosive claim linking Trump to Jeffrey Epstein files, a move Musk later said "went too far."

"I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week," Musk wrote. "They went too far."

Trump responded by telling the New York Post: "I thought it was very nice that he did that."