House Speaker Mike Johnson said on 16/7 that he sent Elon Musk a long text message seeking to explain his position, but the message went unanswered because Musk had changed his phone number. "I sent Elon a long explanatory text, but he changed his number. Apparently, there were some issues with his phone after all the back and forth," Johnson said, referencing the recent tension between Republican leaders and Musk regarding the Outrageous Budget Bill Act (OBBBA).
Johnson added that Musk later confirmed through a third party that he had changed his number. "Turns out I was texting into the abyss. He never saw it. I'm really looking forward to sitting down with him face to face. We need to mend fences," Johnson said.
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Elon Musk attends a press conference in the Oval Office at the White House on 30/5. Photo: AFP |
Elon Musk attends a press conference in the Oval Office at the White House on 30/5. Photo: AFP
Johnson stated he had met with Musk in person several times and “sent long texts" to update him on the OBBBA's progress. He believes "a variety of factors" contributed to the rift between Musk and Republican leaders, but fundamentally, Musk was aware of the bill's content before leaving the White House.
"He (Musk) did a pretty quick about-face. He generally knew what we were doing. We had talked for months. I’ll let the public be the judge of that. I just want to stay focused on the task at hand and move forward and try to be a peacemaker in this," Johnson explained.
The relationship between Musk, President Donald Trump, and Republican leaders began to deteriorate when Trump pushed Congress to approve the OBBBA in early May.
Musk publicly opposed the bill in June, shortly after concluding his leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He urged Republican lawmakers to vote against it, warning of soaring national debt, criticizing Trump, and threatening that those who supported the OBBBA would lose in the 2026 midterm elections.
Trump retorted that Musk was only concerned about the interests of his electric car company, Tesla, which would see reduced subsidies under the OBBBA's new regulations. Trump also hinted at the possibility of deporting Musk and requested the DOGE investigate government contracts with Musk's companies.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson in Washington on 22/5. Photo: AFP |
House Speaker Mike Johnson in Washington on 22/5. Photo: AFP
The tension between Musk and Trump remains unresolved.
After the OBBBA passed Congress and was signed into law by Trump on 4/7, Musk announced his intention to form "The America Party" to challenge the two-party system. Trump mocked the idea, predicting it would "crash and burn" and warning that a new party would only lead to chaos.
Thanh Danh (RT, Fox, NY Post)
