Trump: "Musk Is 80% Super Genius, 20% Problematic"

"Went Down the Wrong Path for a While, But That's Okay"
"Will Ultimately Return to the Republican Party"

U.S. President Donald Trump (right) and Tesla CEO Elon Musk are speaking during a press conference on May 30 (local time) in the Oval Office of the White House. Afterwards, the two parted ways after showing differences over a large-scale tax cut bill. Photo by AP Yonhap News

U.S. President Donald Trump said that Tesla CEO Elon Musk does not have many political options left and will ultimately have no choice but to return to the Republican Party.

According to Bloomberg News on the 3rd (local time), President Trump said in a pre-recorded interview for the "Scott Jennings Show" on the 2nd (local time), "He (Musk) has no choice," and added, "One side is the Republican Party, and the other side is 'radical left-wing fanatics.'"

While President Trump generally praised CEO Musk, he also pointed out some issues. He said, "Musk is a great person. He went down the wrong path for a while, but that's okay. That can happen," and continued, "He is 80% super genius, but the remaining 20% is problematic." He added, "If he overcomes that 20%, he will be great. But for now, there are some difficulties."

Once called President Trump's "first buddy," CEO Musk parted ways with Trump earlier this year after clashing over the so-called "One Big Beautiful Act (OBBA)," a tax cut bill that included the elimination of electric vehicle tax credits. In the first half of this year, CEO Musk, who had led federal government efficiency policies during Trump's second administration, also directly criticized the bill for potentially causing a massive fiscal deficit.

During this process, CEO Musk declared his intention to establish a third party called the so-called "America Party." However, after their split, it was reported that on June 27, he donated a total of 10 million dollars (about 14 billion won) to the Republican super PACs (special political action committees) in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. President Trump, for his part, also took a threatening stance by saying he would suspend government contracts and subsidies.

Bloomberg News reported, "Although both sides have shown efforts to reconcile, these remarks indicate that tensions remain."

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