Anthony Zurcher
North America Correspondent
(BBC) – What happens when the richest person and the most powerful politician have a knock-down, drag-out fight?
The world is finding out – and it’s not a pretty picture. Donald Trump and Elon Musk have two of the biggest megaphones, and they have now turned them on each other, as a disagreement has ballooned into a war of words.
Trump has threatened Musk’s voluminous business dealings with the federal government, which form the lifeblood of his SpaceX programme.
“The easiest way to save money in our budget, billions and billions of dollars, is to terminate Elon’s governmental subsidies and contracts,” Trump posted menacingly on his own social media website.
If Trump turns the machinery of government against Musk, the tech billionaire will feel pain. Tesla’s stock price plunged by 14% on Thursday.
It’s not a one-way street, however. After that volley, Musk called for Trump’s impeachment and dared him to cut funding for his companies.
Musk also said he was accelerating the decommissioning of his Dragon spacecraft, which the US relies on to carry American astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station.
