Donald Trump is now toying with the idea of deporting Elon Musk, as tensions between the former president and the SpaceX CEO show no signs of cooling.

Speaking to reporters in Washington before leaving for Florida yesterday, Trump said he would “take a look” when asked whether he’d consider deporting Musk. The comment is the latest jab in their ongoing feud, which reignited after Musk criticized Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” currently being debated in Congress.

Elon Musk, a first-generation immigrant to the United States, has previously been scrutinized over his visa status. During the Biden administration, there were discussions about stripping his citizenship amid allegations he worked in the U.S. while on a student visa. Although student visas do allow limited work, universities are required to ensure it aligns with academic activities.

According to Forbes, Musk is currently the richest man on Earth with a net worth of $406 billion, largely thanks to his holdings in Tesla. Tesla shares struggled yesterday, falling 5.8% in premarket trading and opening 6.9% lower, following weak European sales data and analyst warnings of declining vehicle demand.

Trump insisted Musk’s opposition to the bill stems from its plan to eliminate consumer EV subsidies. Musk denied this and even proposed scrapping the incentives altogether. Trump doubled down during his press briefing: “We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? It’s the monster that maybe has to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn’t that be terrible? He gets a lot of subsidies. Elon’s very upset that the EV mandate is going to be eliminated. And you know what? Not everyone wants an electric car! I don’t. I want maybe gas, maybe electric, maybe hybrid. Maybe someday hydrogen.”

After a Twitter user shared Trump’s remarks, Musk acknowledged them and said, “It’s tempting to escalate this, but I’ll refrain for now.” On Truth Social, Trump previously speculated that if government subsidies were pulled from Musk’s companies, the billionaire would likely have to shut down and return to South Africa.

Source: WCCFTech