Trump Questions Elon Musk's Support Over Electric Car Disagreement, Advocates Bitcoin And Trade Tariffs

Donald Trump believes he won't gain support from Elon Musk due to their "opposing views" on electric cars - a subject the former US President continues to criticise during his campaign rallies.

Trump, during an interview on CNBC's SquawkBox, confirmed that he recently met with the Tesla CEO and expressed uncertainty when asked whether he would eventually get "verbal or monetary" support from the billionaire.

"I don't know," Trump said. "I've been friendly with him over the years. I've helped him when I was president," he added.

"I helped him. I've liked him. We obviously have opposing views on a minor subject called electric cars. I'm all for electric cars, but you have to have all of the alternatives. Also, you can't just go to electric. I mean, you have a grid system in this country that's obsolete, and a disaster," Trump said of the 52-year-old tech mogul.

"This Biden all-electric mandate is by very, very stupid people," he added. Musk's visit raised the prospect of him becoming a significant financial supporter of Trump, despite major personal financial challenges.

Uncertainty looms over potential party donations

Last week, he had to rely on a lender to secure a $91.6 (£71.47) million bond following a judgment in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case. As if that weren't enough, Trump faces the task of generating $450 (£351.12) million within weeks following a judge's order in his New York fraud case.

Meanwhile, Musk has been sparing no effort to criticise Joe Biden's US immigration policy. Last month, Musk shared a video on illegal immigration, calling it alarming.

The billionaire, who has echoed conspiracy theory of far-right chat rooms, recently accused Biden of importing migrants for votes and laying the groundwork for "something far worse than 9/11."

However, Musk recently confirmed that he doesn't plan to donate money to either candidate for US President. According to a CNBC report, Trump and advisors want Musk to speak at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

Musk's companies have multiple government contracts through SpaceX. Likewise, the US clean energy subsidies and policies that promote the development of charging stations and battery technology manufacturing heavily influence the Tesla brand.

Trump, who said cryptocurrency trading seems "like a scam" back in 2021, made comments implying his involvement in cryptocurrency trading.

"Well, it's taken [on] its own life,' he said in the CNBC interview. 'You know, I do little things sometimes for fun and, you know, make money with it and have fun with it, too."

"Well, it's taken [on] its own life,' he said in the CNBC interview. 'You know, I do little things sometimes for fun and, you know, make money with it and have fun with it, too." Trump went on to claim that purchasers were using the currency to get their hands on Trump-branded sneakers.

He also signalled his opposition to any form of crackdown, stating, "I have noticed there has been significant use of that. And I'm not sure that I'd want to remove it at this point."

Furthermore, Trump discussed his proposal for 10 per cent tariffs, which has raised concerns about the possibility of another increase in inflation. He spoke about policies that could minimise the impact, after implementing tariffs on China during his presidency that are still in effect.