Former Republican President Donald Trump lashed out at billionaire Elon Musk after Musk's revelation that he voted for Democratic President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
The information angered Trump because, according to him, Musk had previously said he'd voted for him.
In an interview with Fox News personality Tucker Carlson that aired on Monday, Musk confirmed that he had, in fact, voted for Biden. However, he also clarified that he was not necessarily a fan of the current President.
Noting that he’d prefer “just a normal person as president, a normal person with common sense and whose values are smack in the middle of the country," said:
“I didn’t vote for Donald Trump."
"I actually voted for Biden. I’m not saying I’m a huge fan of Biden, since that would probably be inaccurate. But, you know, we have difficult choices to make in these presidential elections.”
You can hear what Musk said in the video below.
\u201cElon Musk tells Tucker about Trump being allowed on Twitter.\n\nElon also says who he voted for in 2020.\u201d— Red Voice Media (@Red Voice Media) 1681823794
Trump, on the other hand, was not convinced by Musk's admission.
He took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to declare that he did not believe Musk voted for Biden, and he accused Musk of "trying to make friends" with the Biden administration to secure government subsidies and permits.
Trump said:
"I don't believe Elon Musk voted for Biden, not for a minute!"
"He told me that he voted for me, but who knows about that, and who cares? Elon is just trying to make friends with the absolutely horrible Biden Administration because of all the government subsidies he gets, and all the permits he needs."
You can see Trump's post below.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
Musk's revelation and Trump's subsequent attack exposed the both of them to criticism.
\u201cWe have to recognize that it is possible BOTH statements could be true\n\nIt is possible that Space Karen had indeed voted for Trump; then Elon Musk took that Trump suggestion to go change his shirt and hat, and come to vote a second time (but make the second vote for Biden)\u201d— Tomi T Ahonen Not In Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly (@Tomi T Ahonen Not In Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly) 1681845605
\u201c'He told me he voted for me': Trump throws tantrum after Elon Musk admits backing Biden https://t.co/Cghoe3tgz6 \n\nDon't know why Donny is so upset with Musk. There were 81 million people who did not vote for him.\u201d— Democracy 2024 (@Democracy 2024) 1681883796
\u201cElon Musk told the BBC that he doesn't know if Trump will come back to Twitter. Elon then said that he voted for Biden. I think everyone now knows the answer to the first statement.\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\u201d— Toe-Knee \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6 (@Toe-Knee \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6) 1682020615
\u201cThe fact that Elon made these wild unbelievable claims on Fox should tell you how valid they are. If they were valid he'd be on every network. The free speech guy has a serious problem with the truth and spends more time supporting Russia than America.\n\nhttps://t.co/pFqS5dNpIi\u201d— John Oberlin (@John Oberlin) 1681706391
\u201cDonald Trump Throws Hissy Fit Over Elon Musk Revelation https://t.co/cTSXzik5aV Trump actions are 100% self serving . He gets into trouble because he assumes everyone does the same. He can't grasp that anyone would do something for someone else without getting something back.\u201d— Browny (@Browny) 1681908561
\u201cI did not vote for Trump in 2016 or 2020 either, as well as 81 million other Americans. I wonder if Trump would throw a hissy fit about that...\n\nDonald Trump Throws Hissy Fit Over Elon Musk Revelation https://t.co/SdeqkhXyeQ via @Yahoo\u201d— Blue Limousine \u00af\_(\u30c4)_/\u00af (@Blue Limousine \u00af\_(\u30c4)_/\u00af) 1681916410
\u201cElon told Lyin Tucker Carlson that he voted for Biden and Trump is having a hissy fit \u201c I don\u2019t believe him for one minute, he told me he voted for me\u201d Great! Now he\u2019ll claim that Musk\u2019s vote was stolen from him. At least we know he won\u2019t be back on Twitter anytime soon \ud83d\ude2c\u201d— 888 Good Troubles (@888 Good Troubles) 1681947134
Though Musk has officially reinstated Trump to Twitter, Trump has opted not to join the platform, preferring to devote his time to Truth Social, a conservative playground and Twitter clone.
And while Musk has publicly defended Trump on many occasions, Trump wasn't particularly fond of him last summer, referring to Musk as a "bullsh*t artist" shortly after Musk announced what proved to be a futile attempt to abandon his deal to purchase Twitter for $44 billion.