Kumar Bahukhandi
Why is President Trump, who was once best friends with Elon Musk, now threatening him to return to Africa? What is Musk’s African connection and how did he come from Africa and become a citizen of Canada and then America?
There is a fierce battle going on between US President Donald Trump and billionaire businessman Elon Musk over ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’. The Republican Party passed this important bill related to tax and expenditure in the US Senate on Wednesday. The bill was debated for several hours and finally the bill was approved with the tie-breaking vote of Vice President JD Vance.
Now this bill will go to the House of Representatives and it may face opposition there.
Musk’s Africa connection
Even before being passed in the Senate, this bill became the biggest reason for the dispute between Trump and Musk. On Tuesday July 1, 2025 , the President took a strong dig at Elon Musk, who opposed the bill, and said that Musk has probably received more subsidies than anyone else in human history, but without subsidies he will have to close his shop and return to South Africa. Trump further said that after this there will be no production of rockets, satellite launches or electric cars and we will save a lot of money. He said that DOGE should look into the government subsidies and contracts received by Musk.
Why is President Trump, who was once Elon Musk’s best friend, now threatening him to return to Africa? What is Musk’s Africa connection? Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa and on this basis Trump has warned him to return to his birthplace. Musk’s father Errol Musk was an engineer and property dealer, while his mother Maye Musk was born in Canada but studied in South Africa.
Born in Africa during the apartheid era, Elon Musk belongs to a rich family. His childhood was spent in South Africa where a racist system was in place, in which white people had special rights and his own family was a staunch supporter of the apartheid system. Musk completed his early education in Pretoria. But Musk once said that he had to face bullying during school time.
Journey to Canada and America
Around 1990, at the age of 17, Musk decided to go to his maternal home, i.e. Canada, to avoid South Africa’s mandatory military service under the Upperhead system. His mother was a Canadian citizen, so it was quite easy for him. About two years later, he came to America and studied at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2002, he got US citizenship. Currently, he holds citizenship of all three countries – America, Canada and South Africa.
Despite being born in South Africa, Musk has been a critic of the policies there. He has accused South Africa of persecuting white citizens, and has also claimed genocide of white farmers there. He tried to start his company Starlink in Africa, but he could not get a license due to the policy related to giving shares to black people in foreign companies. After this, Musk termed Africa’s equity policy as racist.
Will Trump deport Musk?
Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he would consider the possibility of deporting Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk from the US. When reporters asked him about expelling Musk from the country, Trump replied, “I don’t know, we’ll have to consider it.” Trump’s threat to billionaire Musk is a different matter, but it will not be easy to deport him from the US.
Even if Trump takes action in this regard, it will be considered a completely political decision. However, from the legal aspect, it is very difficult to do so because the US government will have to prove that Musk has acquired citizenship with the help of illegal documents or false information. The business tycoon in the US had earlier also clarified on a dispute regarding a company that he has all the legal documents.
Even after Trump’s current threat, Musk’s stance is calm and he said that he is not interested in escalating this controversy. However, his anti-Trump stance still remains, which includes support for the impeachment motion against the President apart from the bill and the threat of forming a new party.
