"Then he got a bit strange. I don't know why"

Trump speaks for the first time again about his former 'best friend'.

It was bound to happen: the bromance between US President Donald Trump and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has come to an abrupt end. And their breakup is accompanied by quite a few accusations, volleyed back and forth more swiftly than a tennis ball at the US Open.

The short-lived collaboration between Trump and Musk was extremely intense and fiercely contested. The end of their friendship and professional relationship can, to put it mildly, also be called 'intense'.

In March, Trump publicly announced in a highly publicised stunt for the White House that he had just bought a red Tesla. He called on his fans to do the same to support Musk's company during turbulent times. But just a few months later, the US president seemed less convinced by his purchase: Trump put his Tesla up for sale! So reports The New York Times, quoting an anonymous White House source. This shows that the escalated row with Musk has clearly caused deep wounds.

Although the White House sought to mediate last Friday, President Trump cancelled a planned phone call with Musk. "Not interested," was his response. "I don't even think about Elon. That poor chap has a problem," he told CNN last Friday.

Just last week, Musk had launched a stinging attack against Trump and his ‘Big beautiful bill’, a new law which Musk claimed would blow a huge hole in the budget. Then this Wednesday, Musk suddenly said he had gone too far and expressed regret.

Meanwhile, the US president appears to have mellowed somewhat. During a meeting at the White House about rolling back regulations on the sale of electric cars, the president made positive comments about the billionaire and Tesla boss. "I like Tesla. And I like others, too," Trump remarked unexpectedly.

Musk knew Trump would come up with a policy that would harm the market for his cars, according to the president. "Now we know why Elon Musk isn't so fond of me. Actually, he is, he is." The row had nothing to do with cars, said the president. "Afterwards he got a bit strange. I don't know why, it was about much smaller matters," he said, somewhat mysteriously.

(SR – Source: CNN/The New York Times – Illustration: ©picture alliance Consolidated News Photos Francis Chung – Pool via CNP)