Trump Warns Musk of ‘Very Serious Consequences’ if He Backs Democrats

Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Elon Musk, saying the tech billionaire will face “very serious consequences” if he decides to support Democratic candidates in the upcoming election cycle.

In a pre-recorded interview with NBC News set to air Sunday, Trump made clear that his falling-out with Musk is final. The two men, once closely aligned, have been engaged in a heated public spat after Musk denounced the Republican budget bill as an “abomination”.

“If he does [support Democrats], he’ll have to pay the consequences,” Trump said. “Very serious consequences.”

The relationship breakdown marks a dramatic shift: Musk contributed nearly $300 million to Trump’s 2024 re-election efforts. When asked if he had any interest in reconciling, Trump said flatly, “No.” Asked if the relationship was over, he replied, “I would assume so,” adding, “I’m too busy doing other things.”

Trump suggested the feud has actually helped consolidate support within the GOP. “The party has never been this united,” he claimed. “Even more so than it was three days ago.”

Despite Musk’s criticism of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”—which extends Trump-era tax cuts while increasing military and border security spending—Trump expressed confidence it would pass the Senate before July 4. The bill narrowly cleared the House, though some Republicans share Musk’s concerns over its impact on the national deficit and potential cuts to programs like Medicaid and food assistance.

Estimates from the Congressional Budget Office and independent analysts suggest the legislation could add between $2.3 trillion and $5 trillion to the deficit over the next decade. The White House argues that the tax cuts will fuel enough economic growth to offset those costs.

Trump dismissed the idea that Musk’s opposition could derail the bill. “Actually, Elon helped,” he said. “People started looking more closely and saw how good it is. So, in a way, he did us a favor.”

Still, Trump accused Musk of being “disrespectful to the office of the president” and lamented the billionaire’s public comments.

“He’s very disrespectful. You don’t disrespect the office,” Trump said.

Earlier in the week, Musk deleted a controversial post on X—his social media platform—that attempted to link Trump to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. When asked about it, Trump brushed it off: “Old news. Even Epstein’s lawyer said I had nothing to do with it.”

Musk also walked back a threat to begin shutting down SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft used by NASA, which came after Trump hinted at canceling the company’s federal contracts. On Saturday, Trump said he hadn’t seriously considered the idea but added, “I’d be allowed to do that.”

Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance weighed in during a podcast appearance, calling Musk’s attacks “a huge mistake” but chalked them up to frustration.

“Elon’s an emotional guy,” Vance said. “I hope he comes back into the fold. Maybe that’s not possible now because he’s gone so nuclear.”

Vance added, “Honestly, I’ve flown off the handle worse than Elon in the last 24 hours. If he just chilled out, things would be fine.”