White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said the relationship between President Donald Trump and tech mogul Elon Musk had a "very troublesome ending."
"The president was very, very kind to him, and Elon had so much to offer us," Wiles said on the New York Post podcast "Pod Force One," which aired Thursday. "He knew things we didn't know. He knew people and technologies that we didn't know. It was a great thing when it was a great thing, and had a very, I think, a very troublesome ending."
Wiles said she doesn't understand why Trump and Musk had their falling-out, which appeared to begin after Musk's pointed criticisms of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Congress passed last week and Trump signed into law July 4.
"I enjoyed working with Elon," she said. "I think he's a fascinating person and sees the world differently, and I think that's probably what the president saw, too. [Musk is] just a little bit different than the average joe, but certainly [it] came to not a good ending."
Wiles said Musk "might be the world's smartest man" and said his insight helped the administration, especially during the transition. She said she doesn't believe Musk's recent hostility toward Trump is driven by jealousy.
After Congress passed the signature legislation of Trump's second term, Musk vowed to launch a third party to "give Americans back their freedom."
"I think it'll help us," Trump told reporters at Tuesday's Cabinet meeting. "It'll probably help. Third parties have always been good for me. I don't know about Republicans, but for me."
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.