OOPS! Elon Musk Says Donald Trump Should GO PHAK HIMSELF & 'Sail Into the Sunset' in Latest Spat
Marketwatch 7/12/2022
By Gareth Vipers
Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Elon Musk said he thinks it is time for former President Donald Trump "to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset."
The billionaire, who is also CEO of SpaceX, made the comments on Twitter after Mr. Trump called him "another bullshit artist" during a speech at a rally in Anchorage, Alaska, on Saturday.
The former president's comments, in which he also mocked Mr. Musk's attempt to buy Twitter Inc., raised the ire of the entrepreneur who had previously been supportive of the former president.
"I don't hate the man, but it's time for Trump to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset," Mr. Musk tweeted to his 100 million followers late Monday, replying to a Breitbart News post about the Anchorage rally. "Dems should also call off the attack -- don't make it so that Trump's only way to survive is to regain the Presidency," he added.
Representatives for Mr. Trump and Tesla didn't immediately respond to requests for a comment.
Mr. Musk, who was until recently lining up a $44 billion deal to buy Twitter, had previously shown support for Mr. Trump and criticized the social-media company for banning him from the platform.
The expulsion was a "morally bad decision," Mr. Musk said, adding that permanent bans undermine trust in Twitter.
"If there are tweets that are wrong and bad, those should be either deleted or made invisible, and a suspension -- a temporary suspension -- is appropriate, but not a permanent ban," Mr. Musk said at a summit in May.
Twitter barred President Trump's personal account in January 2021, citing the risk of further incitement of violence following the attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of his followers.
In April, Mr. Musk announced he had lined up $46.5 billion in financing to mount a takeover of Twitter. In a regulatory filing, he also said he was considering taking his offer straight to Twitter shareholders, bypassing the board and sparking a monthslong showdown over the future of the company.
On Friday, Mr. Musk revealed he was seeking to terminate the takeover agreement, and filed a letter with securities regulators accusing Twitter of withholding information and making "false and misleading representations" in relation to the deal. The company says it plans legal action and is expected to file a lawsuit in the Delaware Court of Chancery, arguing Mr. Musk is required to close the agreed-upon deal.
During the speech, Mr. Trump suggested Mr. Musk had voted for him in the past, but the tech entrepreneur previously said he believed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to be the Republicans' best chance of regaining the White House.
After a commenter suggested a Trump-DeSantis ticket in 2024, Mr. Musk rejected the idea.
"Trump would be 82 at end of term, which is too old to be chief executive of anything, let alone the United States of America," Mr. Musk wrote Monday.
"If DeSantis runs against Biden in 2024, then DeSantis will easily win -- he doesn't even need to campaign."
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 12, 2022 09:15 ET (13:15 GMT) |
