Elon Musk, the irrepressible American tycoon, who symbolises a new generation of aggressive business leaders, appears to have reinvented his political alliance with US President Donald Trump. He had deserted his Democratic mentors in favour of the Republicans; even had funded 300 USD to enable the ruling party to storm the American Congress.
Those closely watching American politics, perhaps, have realized the go-between between the estranged lovers, were none other than the US Vice-President, J.D. Vance, and his petite winsome intelligent wife, Usha, who chose to remain in the shadows. Usha had abandoned her promising career in law to script her spouse’s political career. It is believed that the power couple, Vance and Usha had ensured that Elon Musk and Trump communicate with each other before publicly expressing regret for attacks. Musk has already stated that he “went too far” during a public feud between the men last week. Musk had also spoken with the White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles. However, those who have been watching statements of Musk are also unhappy that the tycoon-politician had made unnecessary comments against the California Bullet Train project being funded by the Chinese companies having allegiance with the Communist Party of China. His opposition, however, is being traced to the aggressive marketing of Chinese electric vehicles in California, but he forgot that the Chinese have been having a full trade mission in California for the past 11 years.
Another factor of this renewed ties between the estranged political allies could be the expansion of the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers in the US despite Trump’s ‘noisy’ rhetoric about the threat of imposing huge tariffs against Chinese goods. Wang Chuanfu, the founder of BYD, the most sought-after electric vehicle, had overtaken Elon Musk’s Tesla in 2024. His vehicles with new rechargeable batteries are already present in California, where the federal government is facing anger for not supporting the ongoing bullet train project. Much against the wishes of Washington, Chinese electric buses are already plying in California.
Interestingly, the recent sales of the electric vehicle in the U.S. are reaching record highs, Tesla is charting a different course. In one of the key findings from a new analysis by Moto-integrator, conducted in collaboration with the research experts at DataPulse Research, Tesla’s market share is falling, and investor confidence is also waning, but it is not because drivers are anti-electric. On the contrary, EV sales overall are rising, with electric vehicle sales in the U.S. up 11 per cent for the same period. Tesla’s technology has always led the pack.
According to a few political observers, the problem could be less about motoring and more to do with Musk’s high-profile political career. Tesla’s outlier status has coincided with Musk’s increasingly visible role in U.S. politics, suggesting that declining sales and loss of ground to competitors could be part of a deeper brand backlash. In other words, it is not surprising that the Chinese are ready to fill the vacuum caused by the recent feud between the two political titans.
Musk Expresses Regret: Musk’s decision to back off could be traced to the quiet peace between the two allies by senior administration officials, including Vance, with Musk finally saying that he had gone “too far.” Earlier, he had launched bitter criticism against Trump on respective social media sites by calling Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill a “disgusting abomination.” In other remarks, he called it too expensive.
The political pundits feel that too much analysis is not needed about Musk’s post that he did not specify about his regrets regarding his adverse comments. Meanwhile, Trump has wished Musk ‘well’. Earlier, their political divorce appeared to be inevitable with Musk threatening to start a rival political party and suggested Trump be impeached. In other words, he was threatening to pull down the American political system.
The truce between them could give some relief to the investors, who were supporting Tesla, SpaceX and the rest of Musk’s sprawling business empire, including Starlink, which depends heavily on its relationship with the federal government.
Meanwhile, in his guarded comment before the media, Vance told reporters at the Kennedy Centre recently that he had spoken with Musk and Trump about “trying to ensure that Elon is publicly supporting and privately supporting the president’s agenda.” He also admitted that Trump was “rightfully very frustrated” with Musk’s comments, but had no desire to be in a long-term feud with the billionaire and big campaign donor.
Gopal Misra has been associated with national and international media. His books on journalism and geo-politics have been well-appreciated. Views are personal.
