All Episodes

June 10, 2025 7 mins

Donald Trump told Elon Musk to expect “very serious consequences” if he funds political candidates Trump opposes. This threat didn’t come through a leak or backchannel message—it came directly from the president during a phone interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker. That message followed a series of public jabs between the two men, revealing a larger question: What happens when the president of the United States threatens to retaliate against a private citizen for political donations?

Trump’s threat wasn’t vague. In a Thursday post, he suggested cutting off federal contracts and subsidies to Musk’s companies as a budget-saving measure. That post followed Musk’s public criticism of the GOP’s latest budget legislation and his call to vote out incumbents in 2026. The billionaire also floated the idea of launching a new political party “to represent the 80% in the middle.” Trump responded within days, warning that if Musk backs Democratic candidates in the midterms, he’ll suffer unspecified consequences. The president didn’t explain what those would be but insisted they’d be “very serious.”

Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
Your ultimate authority for daily Elon Musk news.
Exploring the world's biggest ideas with your host Will
Walden. There's something new everyday.
The President of the United States has just threatened a
private citizen. Donald Trump told Elon Musk to

(00:24):
expect very serious consequencesif he funds political candidates
that Trump poses now. This threat didn't come through
a leak or some sort of back channel message.
That came directly. From the president himself
during a phone interview with NBCS Kristen Welker Now.
That message followed a series of public jabs between the two

(00:46):
men, revealing a larger question.
What happens when the president?Donald Trump.
Threatens to retaliate against aprivate citizen for political
donations. Trump's threat wasn't vague,
though. In a Thursday post, he suggested
cutting off federal contracts and subsidies to Musk's
companies as a budget saving measure.

(01:06):
That post followed Musk's publiccriticism of the GOP's latest
budget legislation and his call to vote out incumbents in 2026.
Elon also followed the idea of launching a new political party
to represent the 80% in the middle.
Trump responded within days, warning that if Musk backs
Democratic candidates in the midterms, he'll suffer
unspecified consequences now. The president didn't explain

(01:29):
what those would be, but insisted they'd be very serious
now. Musk donated at least
$288,000,000 to support Trump and other Republicans during the
2024 election cycle, according to campaign finance reports that
some made him the most influential financial backer in
GOP circles last year. Now his abrupt threat to

(01:50):
redirect support away from the party or possibly fund third
party or Democratic candidates has triggered Donald Trump's
escalated warnings. Now, the message that Donald
Trump is sending is that loyaltyis transactional, and switching
sides comes with penalties. Trump's tactics have created
unease even among some of his political allies.

(02:12):
Federal subsidies have played a major role in sustaining Musk's
companies. SpaceX receives billions through
NASA contracts, and Tesla benefits from energy credits and
tax incentives tied to its EVs. Now, cutting those off would
have tangible effects on operations, investors and jobs.
The threat was targeted directlyto Elon Musk and his finances

(02:36):
and his businesses. In a private discussions with
donors, Trump has emphasized hispreference for transactional
politics. Sources familiar with the
situation say that Trump views financial loyalty as a
cornerstone of his political machine.
That makes Musk's dissent unusually dangerous.
In Trump's view, Musk, who once boasted of being a free speech

(02:58):
absolutist, has found herself caught between asserting
political independence and preserving access to government
resources for him and also his companies.
Now, the dynamic matters to everybody.
Beyond personal grudges. Tech, CE, OS and federal
officials are always navigating a new era of policy influence.

(03:19):
Right now, where access and funding increasingly depend on
personal relationships rather than traditional lobbying or
merit, It looks like handshake deals are.
Happening. Throughout Trump's
administration, Musk had enjoyeda period of influence under
Trump, including friendly meetings and favorable public
comments staying at Trump's estates.

(03:39):
Now that influence is completelygone.
It's evaporated. Other tech leaders see this as
an opportunity to fill the void,though.
Executives of companies like Palantir and Andrill, both
heavily defence focused, see a pathway to gain favor with the
administration. Industry sources say these firms
are already increasing the federal lobbying efforts, giving

(04:00):
more and more money and positioning themselves as
alternative to Elon Musk. Now.
Mehta's leadership has also shifted its political tone,
aligning more closely with Trump's rhetoric in recent
months. Musk's misstep could create room
for new favourites of Trump to emerge now.
Musk's standing at Silicon Valley had already begun to
erode due to his erratic public statements and inconsistent

(04:22):
business focuses recently. And while respected for
engineering successes and managing Tesla and SpaceX, he's
frustrated partners and investors with unpredictable
behaviour and unkept promises. And losing Trump's favor could
further isolate him, especially if his corporate empire becomes
the target of scrutiny for Trump's administration.

(04:44):
One consequence of this view is a potential change in US space
policy. SpaceX currently dominates
government satellite launches and space logistics, and federal
agencies begin to shift contracts toward Blue Origin.
Whose Jeff Bezos his space venture could benefit
handsomely. Sources familiar with NASA's
current contract review process say the agency exploring ways to

(05:06):
diversify launch providers and lighted political risk
associated with single vendor dependency, such as SpaceX.
Now open AI, who of course Elon has been warring with for a
while. Sam Altman stands to benefit
from the political fallout as well.
Although Altman has his own ongoing feud with Elon Musk,
he's navigated the post electionpower structure with more

(05:29):
discretion. He repurposed a large scale data
center initiative as a federal infrastructure project and
secured a White House photo op shortly after Trump's
inauguration. His strategy earned him
credibility inside the administration without
attracting Musk style controversy.
Now, the silence from other techleaders speaks volumes.

(05:50):
Here, most prefer to avoid choosing sides in the political
feud that could affect federal contracts and our trust actions
or export licenses. Many executives are quietly
hopeful that Musk's departure from Trump's inner circle will
ease policy negotiations and create a more predictable
business environment for their companies.
Now, the administration's treatment of Musk reveals how

(06:12):
Trump views power and loyalty, sees wealth and influence as
useful tools when they serve hispolitical goals, and his
liabilities when they don't serve him anymore.
Musk helped fuel the Republican campaign in 2024, but in 2026,
that might not be enough to shield him from Donald Trump's

(06:32):
retribution. Trump's message is very blunt.
You can fund the opposition, butit will cost you.
Hey, thank you so much for listening today.
I really do appreciate your support.
If you could take a second and hit the subscribe or the follow
button on whatever podcast platform that you're listening
on right now, I greatly appreciate it.

(06:54):
It helps out the show tremendously and you'll never
miss an episode. And each episode.
Is about 10 minutes or less to get you caught up quickly.
And please, if you want to support the show even more, go
to atreoncom stage. 0. And please take care of
yourselves and each other, and I'll see you tomorrow.
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.

The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club

The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!

Crime Junkie

Crime Junkie

Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.