Elon Musk offered asylum in Russia after spat with Trump

In the wake of the very public feud between United States President Donald Trump and resident efficiency spaceman and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a new player has waded into the mess, and surprise, surprise, it's Russia.

Russian officials have taken to social media to add their two roubles (S$0.016) to the discussion, offering Musk mediation, asylum, and even *checks notes* a place on the front lines of a war.

Delightful.

Why can't we just get along?

The Washington Post documented the Russian contribution to the spat with barely concealed glee.

Whether it was Kremlin ally Kirill Dmitriev, head of one of Russia's most significant sovereign wealth funds, asking, "Why can't we just get along?", or former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev asking for stocks in SpaceX in order to mediate peace, it was clear that officials in Russia's government were finding much mirth in the breakup.

For context, the phrase, "Why can't we get along?", was an appeal by Rodney King, the victim of a brutal police beating in the 1990s, to rioters incensed by the verdict of his court case, asking them to end the violence in Los Angeles.

Medvedev, for his part, was a seat warmer for Putin, holding the presidency for four years between 2008 and 2012.

The former head of Roscosmos, the Russian space agency and one-time Twitter sparring partner of Musk's, now leading a military unit in occupied Ukraine, even offered a position in his unit, saying that Musk was "respected in Russia" and that in his unit he would find "reliable comrades and complete freedom of technical creativity".

But perhaps the most amusing aspect of the spat, from a Russian perspective, was the informal debate among members of Russia's parliament over offering Musk asylum in Russia.

The Moscow Times reported that Dmitry Novikov, a member of Russia's parliament and a member of its International Affairs Committee, stated that Russia would offer Musk asylum if he needed it.

If Musk did need asylum, he would join fellow American Edward Snowden, a former U.S. intelligence officer turned whistleblower, who is currently sheltering in Moscow.

But the need for asylum was downplayed by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who told reporters that "this is a domestic issue" and "we're confident that the U.S. president will handle this situation on his own.

Dodge this

Trump and Musk were close allies, and as Dmitriev noted, Musk drew on his personal fortune to fund Trump's presidential campaign, which ultimately proved successful.

For his efforts, Trump appointed Musk head of the Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE), a quasi-official role responsible for saving money by removing governmental excess spending.

Signs of fracture between Musk and Trump were apparent for those who paid close attention, with Musk and fellow DOGE leader Vivek Ramaswamy criticising hostility in Trump's Republican Party towards immigration in highly skilled roles.

Ramaswamy would leave DOGE soon after, but Musk would remain for a while, regularly making excited appearances around Trump in the Oval Office, even selling him a car at one point.

Musk would also eventually leave DOGE, but only after several months, as indicated by Trump at the beginning of his second term.

But Trump's pursuit of his "One Big Beautiful Bill", a massive omnibus bill that would pursue tax cuts at the cost of an increased national debt, finally caused Musk and Trump to fall out.

Musk would describe the bill as an abomination and even imply Trump was guilty of sexual misconduct and being part of convicted paedophile Jeffery Epstein's inner circle.

Losing his mind

Trump has fired back by threatening to cut government subsidies to Musk's Tesla, as well as government contracts with SpaceX.

Trump allies, who also initially championed Musk, were quick to turn on the South African-born billionaire, with Stephen Bannon calling for Musk to be deported, as reported by The New York Times.

Musk appeared to back down, responding to calls for him and Trump to make peace.

But The Guardian reported on Jun. 6 that Trump had no intention of making peace, instead accusing Musk of "losing his mind".

CNN quoted Trump as saying, "I'm not even thinking about Elon. He's got a problem", but he curiously told Politico that his relationship with Musk was "going very well, never done better".

Makes one wonder what a bad relationship is like for him.

In the latest twist, Trump said he is considering selling or giving away the red Tesla he bought in March to support Musk and his EV company.

Top image via The White House/Facebook