U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 6th (local time) that he is not interested in restoring his relationship with Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla.
According to a joint press corps report from the White House, President Trump answered a question during a brief meeting with reporters on his private jet about his current perception of Musk, saying, "Honestly, I have been busy with issues regarding China, Russia, and Iran. I don’t think about Elon Musk. I just wish him well."
President Trump revealed that, despite the efforts of those around him to rebuild his relationship with Musk, who was once his closest aide, he said, "There is effort, but I really am not interested in that. I really am interested in solving the country's problems."
President Trump also added that he has no plans to talk with Musk.
When asked whether the federal government is considering terminating contracts with Musk's companies, he said, "We are looking at everything. There is a lot of money at stake. A lot of subsidies. We will see if that is fair to him and to America."
When asked whether the U.S. could survive if he canceled contracts with Musk's companies, including SpaceX, which plays a key role in the American aerospace industry, he responded, "America cannot do without me, but other than that, it could largely survive without someone."
When asked about any investigation plans regarding Musk's companies, President Trump said, "I don’t know," adding that it was for the relevant authorities to answer. When asked if he was concerned about whether Musk took drugs while working at the White House, he replied, "I don’t want to address that."
Earlier, a rift began between the two when Musk publicly opposed President Trump's legislative agenda, which included large-scale tax cuts.
The day before, during a summit meeting with the German Chancellor, President Trump criticized Musk, stating, "I was very disappointed," and they clashed when Musk expressed support for Trump's impeachment through comments on social media.