Elon Musk is a 'bulls--t artist,' Trump tells crowd at Alaska rally


Former President Donald Trump told a crowd in Anchorage, Alaska, on Saturday that Tesla CEO Elon Musk had mislead him about his voting history.
"You know, Elon says he's never voted Republican, but I didn't know that because he told me that he voted for me, so he's another bull--t artist," Trump said. Musk tweeted on June 15 that his vote for Texas Republican Mayra Flores was the "first time I ever voted Republican." A few weeks earlier, the world's richest man seemed less sure of his own voting history, telling a tech summit crowd he was "not sure" if he had ever "voted for a Republican" but that he planned to vote Republican in the future.
Trump also described Musk's possibly defunct agreement to buy Twitter as "a mess" and said the deal would not go through, instead urging the crowd to use his own social networking app — Truth Social.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In addition to disparaging Musk, Trump praised former Gov. Sarah Palin (R), who is running for Alaska's at-large seat in the House of Representatives, and Senate candidate Kelly Tshibaka, who is challenging moderate Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Both candidates spoke briefly at the rally.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
June 1 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include Donald Trump's golden comb-over, brain drain in America, and a new TACO presidential seal.
-
5 cartoons about the TACO trade
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on America's tariffs, Vladimir Putin waiting for taco Tuesday, and a new presidential seal
-
A city of culture in the high Andes
The Week Recommends Cuenca is a must-visit for those keen to see the 'real Ecuador'
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
What's next for Elon Musk?
Today's Big Question The world's richest man has become 'disillusioned' with politics – but returning to his tech empire presents its own challenges
-
Trump's super-charged pardon push raises eyebrows and concerns
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Never shy about using his pardon ability for political leverage, Trump's spate of amnesty announcements suggests the White House is taking things to a new level
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs