Trump Makes Surprise Pivot On Elon Musk, Says 'Want Him To Thrive Like Never Before'

US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk (File photo/ANI)

New Delhi: US President Donald Trump clarified on Thursday that he supports Elon Musk and wants his companies to "thrive." He emphasized that he wants all American businesses to "thrive like never before," amid speculation of a fallout between the two after Musk criticized Trump's major tax and domestic policy bill.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump addressed circulating claims that he may withdraw federal support for Musk’s companies, Tesla and SpaceX.

"Everyone is stating that I will destroy Elon's companies by taking away some, if not all, of the large-scale subsidies he receives from the US government. This is not so!" Trump wrote. "I want Elon, and all businesses within our Country, to THRIVE, in fact, THRIVE like never before!"

He went on to highlight how the prosperity of Musk’s companies could benefit the nation overall. "The better they do, the better the USA does, and that's good for all of us," Trump added, noting that the country is "setting records every day," and he intends to continue on that path.

Earlier this month, tensions flared when Trump dismissed Musk’s launch of a new political outfit, the America Party, calling the move “ridiculous.”

"It's ridiculous to start a third party. We have tremendous success with the Republican Party. The Democrats have lost their way, but it's always been a two-party system. Third parties have never worked, so he can have fun with it, but I think it's ridiculous," Trump told reporters, according to media sources.

Meanwhile, Musk on Wednesday cautioned his investors about the possibility of US policy changes that could reduce support for electric vehicles, a move that he said might result in "a few rough quarters" for the company.