Musk’s comments came after Trump attacked the Tesla CEO at Saturday’s rally in Anchorage, Alaska. “I don’t hate the man, but it’s time for Trump to hang up his hat and sail off into the sunset,” Musk tweeted late Monday night. “Democrats should also call off the attack — don’t make it so that Trump’s only way to survive is to regain the Presidency.” But it didn’t end there. Musk took another shot — at Trump’s age. “Trump would be 82 at the end of the term, which is way too old to be CEO of anything, let alone the United States of America,” Musk continued. “If [Florida Gov. Ron] DeSantis is running against Biden in 2024, then DeSantis will win easily – he doesn’t even have to campaign.” The SpaceX founder also responded to Trump’s claim at his rally that Musk told Trump he voted for him. “It’s not true,” Musk said. A spokesman for Trump did not respond to The Daily Beast’s request for comment Monday night. While Trump has long publicly teased a 2024 run for the White House, a source close to the former president recently told The Daily Beast that no official decision has been made, adding, “It’s a personal decision between [Trump] and his family.” Still, the 45th president has continued to hold large rallies, where he has rebuffed all manner of opponents — including the Tesla boss. “Elon. Elon is not going to buy Twitter. Where have you heard this before? By me,” Trump said at his rally Saturday afternoon, taking aim at Musk for questioning the social media platform’s purchase. “You know, he said the other day, ‘Oh, I’ve never voted Republican.’ I said, “I didn’t know that.” He told me he voted for me. So he’s another soft artist,” Trump added at the rally before taunting Musk about his “rotten” Twitter contract. The bars marked a shift from the couple’s dynamic even a few months ago. In May, Musk told a conference organized by the Financial Times that he would restore the former chairman’s Twitter account if the acquisition went through. “I think it was wrong to ban Donald Trump. I think it was a mistake because it alienated a large part of the country and it didn’t ultimately result in Donald Trump not having a voice,” Musk said. The Tesla CEO previously served on two of Trump’s presidential advisory councils. However, he resigned when the then-president withdrew from the Paris Agreement, an international commitment to reduce the effects of climate change. More recently, the billionaire has been at loggerheads with the Biden administration, claiming it has conspicuously overlooked Tesla when highlighting efforts by American automakers to produce more environmentally friendly vehicles. Apparently fed up with both leaders, Musk has moved on to DeSantis. It remains to be seen how long this alliance will last.
