Trump Praises Musk Following Previous Conflicts
After a period of public conflict, President Trump recently expressed a rare positive assessment of Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk during an interview with Fox News. He called Musk a "remarkable person" and expressed confidence that Musk "will do well." Trump stated, "I think he is a remarkable person. I haven't talked to him much, but I think Elon is a remarkable person, and I know he will do well."
Trump added that he considers Musk very smart and mentioned that Musk supported him during his presidential campaign, "I remember he provided support during the campaign."
This statement drew attention because previously, the two had public disagreements and verbal conflicts over issues such as electric vehicle industry policies, labor disputes at factories, and social media stances. Musk had also publicly criticized Trump's tariff policies for potentially harming the competitiveness of American manufacturing.
Lack of Policy Support for Musk Becomes a Key Issue
During the interview, Trump mentioned Musk's efforts to gain government support for the electric vehicle market, saying, "He just didn't get what he wanted." This implied that Musk's demands for subsidies, industrial policies, and tax reductions for new energy vehicles had not been fully met.
Musk has repeatedly called for the U.S. government to continue expanding support for the electric vehicle industry, reduce import tariffs on battery raw materials, and simplify factory approval processes to accelerate production expansion. However, the Trump administration took more conservative and protectionist stances on some industrial policies and tariff adjustments, leading to higher procurement costs for Tesla in some parts and raw materials.
In addition, Musk's recent positions on artificial intelligence regulation, green energy subsidy plans, and labor disputes have led to differences with the Trump administration and some Republican leaders. Nonetheless, Trump's public expression of positive opinions towards Musk this time might pave the way for easing tensions over industrial policies and new energy cooperation in the future.
Relaxed Relations May Influence New Energy Policy Direction
Analysts believe that Trump's positive remarks on Musk ahead of crucial campaign moments might be driven by the desire to seek allies in the business sector and secure the support of entrepreneurs, while also appeasing voters supporting new energy industries and green technologies.
As the world's largest electric vehicle manufacturer and a leader in new energy technology, Tesla's investment and expansion plans in the U.S. align with Trump's policy goals to revitalize American manufacturing. If Trump wins the election, how he manages cooperation and policy frictions with Musk will directly affect the future development path of the U.S. electric vehicle industry.
Currently, Tesla's gigafactory expansion projects in Texas and Nevada are in critical stages. At the same time, the company is actively negotiating with the U.S. Department of Energy and state governments on issues regarding power grid storage, solar industry, and autonomous driving legislation. The results of future interactions between Musk and Trump may influence Tesla's global strategic pace.
Market Watches Future Dynamics of Their Relationship
In the market, Tesla's stock price has been rising amid positive expectations around artificial intelligence and autonomous driving. Analysts believe that a further easing of relations between Musk and Trump could help reduce policy uncertainty and stabilize market sentiments.
However, some argue that Musk's consistent stance of reducing government intervention and reliance on subsidies still contrasts with Trump's strong interventionist style in manufacturing. Genuine improvement in their relationship requires observation.
In the future, whether Trump will make adjustments in new energy subsidy policies and whether Musk will receive more policy support will become important focal points in the new energy and electric vehicle sectors.
