Key Trump staff ‘furious’ Musk bashed $500 billion AI deal — as president shrugs it off
Some of Donald Trump’s key allies are reportedly “furious” with Elon Musk following his public bashing of an artificial intelligence deal reportedly worth $500 billion, days after the president shrugged off the behavior of his so-called “First Buddy.”
Insiders told Politico that the SpaceX boss had “abused” his close relationship with Trump and accused him of giving “zero f****,” as he continues to attract controversy.
It comes following the online spat between Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman over the Stargate artificial intelligence infrastructure project touted by the president earlier this week, who described it as “a resounding declaration of confidence in America’s potential.”
Musk questioned the investment just hours later on his social media platform, X.
One Republican source close to the White House told Politico that Trump’s staff is “furious” over Musk’s public undermining of the deal, which the president also called “tremendous” and “monumental.”
“It’s clear he has abused the proximity to the president,” the source said. “The problem is the president doesn’t have any leverage over him and Elon gives zero fucks.”
Musk was a vocal advocate for the president during the election, taking the role of senior advisor, and now heads the new Department of Government Efficiency. He has also remained close to the president since his victory over Kamala Harris.
wrong, as you surely know.
want to come visit the first site already under way?
this is great for the country. i realize what is great for the country isn't always what's optimal for your companies, but in your new role i hope you'll mostly put 🇺🇸 first.— Sam Altman (@sama) January 22, 2025
However, his brashness and ability to stir controversy have led to increased speculation that he and Trump will eventually fall out.
The SpaceX boss and Altman clashed on Wednesday, following the announcement of the AI deal; a new partnership formed by OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, alongside Oracle and SoftBank. “They don’t actually have the money,” Musk wrote on X. “SoftBank has well under $10B secured. I have that on good authority.”
Altman responded on Wednesday, saying Musk was “wrong, as you surely know” and inviting him to visit the first site in Texas that is already under construction.
"(T)his is great for the country. i realize what is great for the country isn’t always what’s optimal for your companies, but in your new role i hope you’ll mostly put (America) first,” Altman wrote, using a U.S. flag emoji to represent America.
When asked by reporters about the billionaires’ argument, Trump said that the money was indeed being put up and that he was nonplussed by Musk’s remarks.
“The government’s not putting up anything. They’re putting up money. They’re very rich people, so I hope they do,” Trump said. “And, I mean, Elon doesn’t like one of those people.”
Asked whether Musk’s remarks bothered him, the president added, “No, it doesn’t. He hates one of the people in the deal.”
