Why Musk Picked This Fight With Trump

WSJ What’s News

The Wall Street Journal

News, Daily News

4 • 4K Ratings

🗓️ 6 June 2025

⏱️ 13 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

P.M. Edition for June 6. As the dust settles from the blowup between President Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, Republicans choose sides even as some are asking why one of the most consequential alliances in modern American politics had to end this way. We hear from congressional reporter Olivia Beavers and columnist and host of the Bold Names podcast Tim Higgins on how we got here and what it means. Plus, job growth slowed in May, though less than economics expected. WSJ economics reporter Justin Lahart breaks down the numbers. And the Trump administration brings back Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man wrongfully deported to El Salvador, to face criminal charges in the U.S. Alex Ossola hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Race the rudder, raise the sails, raise the sales!
0:05.0	Captain, an unidentified ship approaching. Over.
0:07.0	Roger that. Wait, is that an enterprise sales solution?
0:13.0	Reach sales professionals, not professional sailors.
0:17.0	With LinkedIn ads, you can target the right people by industry, job title, and more.
0:21.4	To get £100 off your first campaign, go to LinkedIn.com slash lead to claim your credit.
0:26.6	That's LinkedIn.com slash lead. Terms and conditions apply.
0:33.4	As the fallout continues from the feud between President Trump and Elon Musk, some ask, why did Musk pick this fight?
0:40.6	It's either incredible delusions of grandeur, thinking that his money and his influence can rewrite reality in Washington, or perhaps this might be a warning to those in Washington that he is willing to go nuclear over the issues
0:56.6	that are very important to him.
0:58.2	Plus, as the rift grows, Republican leaders stand behind Trump.
1:02.5	And U.S. job growth fell last month, but beat economists' expectations.
1:07.7	It's Friday, June 6th.
1:09.5	I'm Alex Sosela for the Wall Street Journal. This is the PM edition of
1:13.3	What's News, the top headlines and business stories that move the world today.
1:25.4	Tensions have publicly exploded between the world's most powerful man in politics and the
1:30.3	world's richest man in terms of money. Yesterday, President Trump and billionaire Elon Musk traded
1:35.6	barbs and insults, rupturing a relationship that had been one of the most consequential in modern
1:40.4	American politics. The feud exploded after Musk aggressively criticized Trump's tax and spending
1:46.2	mega bill.
1:47.1	So why did Musk do this?
1:49.5	I'm joined now by Wall Street Journal columnist and host of our Bold Names podcast, Tim Higgins.
	...

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