Elon Musk could be faced with another major threat following his public spat with Donald Trump, as the present has toyed with the possibility of deporting the South African-born billionaire.
The political world came to a standstill in early June when Elon Musk and Donald Trump butted horns on social media, as both sides threw wild accusations at each other as their once-strong relationship went up in flames.
The fallout of that public split has spurred heavy retaliation efforts from Musk, who has pledged to fund campaigns against Republican lawmakers and start his own political party in opposition - a move that could have wide-reaching consequences if successful.
President Trump has also flexed his political power over Musk by focusing heavily on electric vehicle regulations and subsidies that Tesla benefits significantly from, and has also threatened to cut all ties between the government and Musk, leaving agencies like NASA in potential jeopardy.
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The latest threat could be the biggest of the lot though, as Trump appears to be now considering the possibility of deporting Musk from the United States, despite his naturalized status.
What has Trump said about deporting Musk?
As reported by NDTV World, President Trump gave an intriguingly open-ended answer when Fox News probed whether he's considering the possibility of deporting Elon Musk in the near future:
"We'll have to take a look," Trump revealed, suggesting that it's something he would be looking to do, especially considering the legal difficulties that the government would likely face if it does eventually go ahead with the process.
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One former White House official suggested deporting Musk in the immediate aftermath of his spat with Trump, and that process involved seizing the billionaire's companies too.
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Trump also added: "We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? The monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn't that be terrible? He gets a lot of subsidies."
The implication here appears to be that 'putting DOGE on Elon' would be enacting cost-cutting measures on the government subsidies that Musk currently receives through Tesla and SpaceX, effectively going ahead with Trump's threat to end all government contracts.
How has Musk responded to Trump's threat?
As expected, Musk has fired back at Trump's deportation threats in a new post on X, writing: "So tempting to escalate this. So, so tempting. But I will refrain from now."
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It's unclear quite what form of 'escalation' Musk would be looking to take, but it would likely revolve around cementing his status as a US citizen or challenging Trump's attempts to cut off his companies from the government.
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Many in the replies to Musk's post have urged him to continue his refrain from a financial perspective, likely due to any stock holdings they might have in Tesla which would no doubt react negatively if its CEO took action against the government.
Could Elon Musk actually be deported?
Considering the possibility of Elon Musk getting deported is both a simple and complicated issue, as the short answer is technically no, as Musk is a legally naturalized citizen that isn't subject to immigration regulations, but the Trump administration has shown its willingness to bend the rules as much as possible to get what it wants.
Musk officially became a naturalized citizen back in 2002 after entering the country on a student visa, and according to one legal expert this would in almost every case leave the government with no means of deporting him.
However, a can of worms is open when probing into the potential for citizenship fraud, which includes any instance of lying on your application. If the government were to prove that Musk had lied in any way, big or small, on his 2002 application, they could effectively void his citizenship and deport him to either Canada or South Africa - although he might also find refuge in Russia too.
There is no indication that this was the case, and deporting Musk as an incredibly high-profile individual would prove to be incredibly difficult, but the Trump administration has suggested that it's up for the challenge.