- विज्ञापन -
Washington: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk warned on Friday that Donald Trump’s new aggressive trade tariffs could trigger a recession in the second half of this year. The statement coincided with escalating public tensions between Musk and the US President.
Musk tweeted that “The Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year,” emphasizing that if America faces financial collapse, everything else becomes irrelevant. This exchange caused significant turmoil in financial markets, with Tesla’s stock dropping over 14% on Thursday and wiping out nearly $150 billion in market value.
Trump responded by suggesting that the most straightforward way for the government to save money would be to cancel contracts and subsidies to Musk, who is a former adviser. Musk retaliated by announcing that SpaceX would start decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately due to the threat.
The conflict stems from Musk criticizing Trump’s policies and accusing the President of ingratitude, particularly after Musk contributed over $250 million to Trump’s 2020 electoral campaign. Musk also emphasized that Trump has 3.5 years left in office, but Musk expects to be around for more than 40 years.
Their relationship has been characterized by rapid, intense, and very public disagreements, reminiscent of their initial interactions. Trump expressed disappointment with Musk after he publicly criticized Trump’s tax and spending plans, to which Musk casually responded with “Whatever” on social media. Musk also recently bid farewell to Trump in a subdued Oval Office appearance, where he sportsed a black eye said to have been caused by his young son, a possible symbolic nod to the turmoil in his interactions with the President.
