Former US president Donald Trump has lashed out at Elon Musk, saying the Tesla co-founder should “focus on getting himself out of the Twitter mess”, as the war of words between the two men escalated.
Mr Trump's attack is the latest in a series of insults the two have traded in recent days. His remarks came in response to a series of tweets Mr Musk posted on Tuesday, in which the Tesla founder suggested the 76-year-old Republican should retire from politics.
“I don’t hate the man, but it’s time for Trump to hang up his hat and sail into the sunset,” Mr Musk wrote.
In a separate tweet he added: “Trump would be 82 at end of term, which is too old to be chief executive of anything, let alone the United States of America.”
Mr Trump did not appear to appreciate the comments, taking to his Truth Social platform hours later to accuse Mr Musk of visiting the “White House asking me for help on all of his many subsidised projects”.
Mr Trump, who had about 88 million followers on Twitter before he was banned from the platform in the wake of the January 6, 2021 insurrection, helped create Truth Social.
“I could have said, 'drop to your knees and beg', and he would have done it,” Mr Trump wrote to his 3.51 million followers on on Truth Social, adding that Mr Musk would be “worthless” if he had not received subsidies from the Trump administration.
“Now Elon should focus on getting himself out of the Twitter mess because he could owe $44 billion for something that's perhaps worthless,” wrote Mr Trump, who was banned from the social media platform after the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
Mr Trump also encouraged Twitter to pursue its lawsuit against Mr Musk, which it launched after the billionaire abandoned his takeover bid.
The social media company's lawyers called the termination “invalid and wrongful”, a letter showed.
In response, Mr Musk posted a meme on Twitter of an elderly character from The Simpsons angrily gesturing towards a cloud.
The feud between Mr Musk and Mr Trump began at a rally in Anchorage, Alaska on July 9, during which the former president scoffed over how the Tesla head said he would vote Republican.
“He said the other day, ‘Oh, I’ve never voted for a Republican.’ I said, ‘I didn’t know that,’” The Anchorage Daily News reported Mr Trump saying. “He told me he voted for me, so he’s another [expletive] artist.”
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Name: Shamsa Hassan Safar
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Degree in emergency medical services at Higher Colleges of Technology
Favourite book: Between two hearts- Arabic novels
Favourite music: Mohammed Abdu and modern Arabic songs
Favourite way to spend time off: Family visits and spending time with friends
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETuhoon%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EYear%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJune%202021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFares%20Ghandour%2C%20Dr%20Naif%20Almutawa%2C%20Aymane%20Sennoussi%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Ehealth%20care%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESize%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E15%20employees%2C%20%24250%2C000%20in%20revenue%0D%3Cbr%3EI%3Cstrong%3Envestment%20stage%3A%20s%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWamda%20Capital%2C%20Nuwa%20Capital%2C%20angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
