Source: Xinhua News Agency

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, June 30th - U.S. President Trump on the 29th spoke about his relationship with American entrepreneur Elon Musk, saying that Musk was "a bit upset" and his recent behavior was "inappropriate." The day before, Musk had again strongly criticized the "Big and Beautiful" tax and spending bill that Trump had pushed.

"We haven't talked much"

Trump gave an interview to Fox News on the 29th. When asked, "Have you spoken with Elon Musk? What happened?"

"We haven't talked much," Trump answered. "But I think Elon is a great person, and I know he will always do well." Trump continued, "He's a smart guy. He once joined me in the campaign. But later he got a bit upset, which is not appropriate."

The reporter asked again, "Why was he upset? Was it because he didn't get what he wanted?"

Trump replied, "It's about the mandatory policies on electric vehicles, which is a tough thing for him. You know, I don't want everyone to have to own an electric vehicle."

Does it concern Musk's personal interests?

Musk has repeatedly criticized the "Big and Beautiful" bill. On the 28th, the U.S. Senate reviewed the draft of the bill, and Musk posted on social media that this bill would "destroy millions of jobs in the United States and cause great damage to our country." He strongly criticized the bill as "extremely crazy and destructive," saying that "it gives handouts to the sunset industries while severely damaging future industries."

Screenshot of Musk's criticism of the "Big and Beautiful" bill

According to media reports, the content of the "Big and Beautiful" bill involves sensitive points in U.S. politics, including significant tax cuts, new energy subsidies, and social security expenditures, as well as increased military and border security spending. It is estimated that the bill will increase the federal government's debt by about $3.8 trillion over the next 10 years.

Some U.S. media believe that some provisions of the bill are directly related to Musk's personal interests, and his criticism of the bill is also one of the important reasons for the deterioration of his relationship with Trump.

Previously, when responding to Musk's critical remarks, Trump said that Musk's dissatisfaction stemmed from the bill's proposal to cancel tax credits for electric vehicle consumers, which affected Musk's interests as CEO of electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla.

According to CNN, Tesla's sales performance has declined sharply this year and needs to continue implementing the tax credit policy to maintain market demand. Morgan Stanley previously estimated that if the tax credit policy is canceled, Tesla would lose about $1.2 billion per year. (Reporter: He Mingshu)

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7521627912878031379/

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