Martina Navratilova gives sharp reaction to Donald Trump demanding Elon Musk be deported to South Africa amid duo's controversial blame game

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Martina Navratilova didn’t hold back after Donald Trump escalated his feud with Elon Musk, telling the Tesla CEO to go back to South Africa. Once political allies, the two have now turned on each other in a very public spat.

The fallout began in late May when the White House passed the controversial ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,’ which included major cuts to clean energy programs and a faster phase-out of the $7,500 EV tax credit. Musk, who has been the CEO of Tesla since 2008, criticized the move because it would directly hurt his business.

Since then, the back-and-forth has only gotten uglier. Musk claimed Trump couldn’t have beaten Kamala Harris without his support and even announced he was leaving DOGE. The President fired back with an ultimatum on Truth Social, and that’s when Navratilova stepped in with a firm reaction of her own.

“Elon Musk knew, long before he so strongly endorsed me for President, that I was strongly against the EV Mandate,” Trump wrote. “It is ridiculous, and was always a major part of my campaign. Electric cars are fine, but not everyone should be forced to own one.” “Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa. No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE. Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!” he added.

Martina Navratilova replied:

“So it would appear.”

Elon Musk has also fired back at Donald Trump, daring him to cut all subsidies that Tesla has received if he truly believes the company is dependent on government support.

Martina Navratilova calls Donald Trump a 'blackmailer' after he warns Elon Musk over losing 'a lot more' than EV mandate

 GettyMartina Navratilova | Image Source: Getty

Hours after his fiery Truth Social post, Donald Trump was pressed by reporters about his fallout with Elon Musk.

At first, he tried to downplay the situation. But as the questioning continued, Trump claimed Musk was “upset” over losing his EV mandate, and warned that the Tesla CEO could end up losing a lot more than that.

“What happened to Elon Musk?” the reporter asked. "Nothing. He's upset he's losing his EV mandate. But he could lose a lot more than that, I can tell you right now. Elon can lose a lot more than that,” Trump replied.

Martina Navratilova took to X to call Trump a “blackmailer,” writing:

“Blackmailer in chief is at it again and still.”

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Pritha Ghosh

Pritha is one of the driving forces behind Sportskeeda's tennis coverage, serving as an assistant content manager and editor. What began as a casual escape from her tiring biotechnology degree course in early 2022 has blossomed into a passion she loves, cherishes, and breathes every day.

Pritha’s love for the sport was spawned by her dad who showed her clips of "GOAT" Steffi Graf’s matches. Despite a thwarted dream of playing professionally due to injury, she finds solace in reporting the sport, while also mentoring other writers to ensure every article is error-free and top-notch. She double checks credible sources, such as the tournament/player handles and big tennis media outlets, and gives proper credit where required.

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