Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump applauded Tesla Inc TSLA CEO Elon Musk on Monday as “the greatest cutter” for his attempts at stifling unionizing efforts by terminating workers.
What Happened: “You’re the greatest cutter,” Trump said in a 3-hour-long Spaces event with the billionaire entrepreneur. “I mean, I look at what you do. You walk in, you just say: ‘You want to quit?’ They go on strike- I won't mention the name of the company, but they go on strike. And you say, ‘That's OK, you're all gone. You're all gone.”
The former President was seemingly referring to the termination of about 30 Tesla employees early last year in what was allegedly a response to unionizing efforts at its facility in Buffalo, New York.
Earlier this year, Musk announced a layoff of at least 10% of Tesla’s global workforce, impacting at least 14,000 employees, including several key executives. Musk justified the layoffs as necessary "to reorganize and streamline the company for the next phase of growth."
Trump Applauds Tesla: Trump also applauded Musk’s Tesla during the interview.
“You do make a great product. Your product is incredible,” Trump said on Tesla and EVs, adding, "That doesn't mean everyone should have an electric vehicle."
The spaces event between Trump and Musk went on for about 3 hours and nearly 17 million people tuned in. The event, originally scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET, was delayed by nearly 45 minutes owing to technical glitches, for which Musk blamed a “massive DDOS attack.”
Why It Matters: Musk officially endorsed Trump in July after a shooting incident on the latter at a rally in Pennsylvania. The former President is seeking the elimination of subsidies for electric vehicles.
However, Musk said during Tesla’s second-quarter earnings in late July that the impact of the elimination of subsidies would only be slight for Tesla but devastating for its competitors. The elimination of EV subsidies would probably help Tesla in the long term, he added.
Earlier this month, Musk told Lex Fridman in a podcast that he discussed the idea of a “government efficiency commission” with Trump in case the former President reclaims the White House. The CEO also expressed his willingness to be a part of it.
While Musk did not detail the purpose of the commission, he hinted that it might be aimed at removing an "accumulation of laws and regulations" that prevents key development projects.
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