Trump lobs fresh insults at his ex-aide tech billionaire Elon Musk
US President Donald Trump has thrown fresh insults at his billionaire former aide Elon Musk, a day after the fiery implosion of their unlikely political marriage, saying the tech tycoon has "lost his mind."
The White House on Friday squashed speculation that Trump and Musk would patch up their stunning public feud, saying the US president had no plans to call Musk.
"The president does not intend to speak to Musk today," a senior White House official said.
Reports had emerged that Musk and Trump would speak by phone on Friday to patch up the damaging public row, but the White House scotched such speculation.
Trump has shown little interest in engaging with Musk, even after the billionaire signaled he would be open to de-escalating their feud in the interest of the United States.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said, "I’ll tell you what, do not doubt and do not second-guess and don’t ever challenge the president of the United States, Donald Trump. He is the leader of the party. He’s the most consequential political figure of this generation and probably the modern era."
Trump told broadcaster ABC in a phone call earlier Friday that he was "not particularly interested" in talking to Musk.
"You mean the man who has lost his mind?" ABC quoted Trump as saying.
The row exploded on Thursday, when Trump said he was "very disappointed" by Musk and threatened to end his government contracts, after his ex-aide criticized the president's flagship budget bill as an "abomination."
Musk accused Trump of "ingratitude", adding, "Without me, Trump would have lost the election."
Trump, who once called the South African-born Musk a "genius", branded him "crazy" on social media.
The White House dweller may ditch the red Tesla he bought from Musk's firm at the height of their relationship. The electric vehicle was still parked on the White House grounds on Friday.
A Trump administration official confirmed to the New York Times that the president plans to sell the red Tesla he bought in March. It was reported earlier that Trump was considering it.
Trump originally bought the car to demonstrate his support for Musk amid a backlash over his role in the administration.
Speculation had long swirled that a relationship between two big egos like the president and the tycoon could not last long, but the speed of the meltdown took Washington by surprise.
Trump said in a recent televised Oval Office diatribe that he was "very disappointed" after his former top donor criticized his "big, beautiful" spending bill before Congress.
The pair then hurled insults at each other on social media -- with Musk even posting that Trump was referenced in government documents on disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The row could have major political and economic fallout, as shares in Musk's Tesla car company seesaw and the SpaceX boss vowed that he would end a critical US spaceship program.
The White House reportedly called a special meeting to discuss how to handle the crisis with Musk.
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