Trump Warns Musk of Consequences Amid Political Funding Feud

US President Donald Trump has sounded a stern warning to Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, cautioning of 'serious consequences' if Musk channels funding to Democratic challengers opposing Republicans who support a major GOP budget bill. In a phone conversation with NBC News, Trump asserted, 'If he does, he'll have to pay the consequences for that.' However, he declined to specify what these consequences might entail.

Despite their previous public interactions, Trump made it clear he is not interested in repairing ties with Musk, with whom he has had heated exchanges on social media platforms X and Truth Social earlier this week. When queried about his relationship with Musk, Trump replied, 'I would assume so, yeah,' adding he has no plans to speak with the tech mogul anytime soon, citing time constraints.

Trump accused Musk of showing 'disrespect to the office of the President,' highlighting Musk's social media posts, including one where Musk pointed to Trump's past association with Jeffrey Epstein. Trump dismissed these as 'old news,' maintaining that even Epstein's lawyer attested Trump's non-involvement. Musk, earlier involved in the Government Efficiency Department under Trump's administration, has since criticized the President's budget policies.

(With inputs from agencies.)