Trump dismisses Elon Musk’s criticism of stargate AI deal: 'He hates one of the people involved'

President Trump attributes Elon Musk’s skepticism of the AI project to personal animosity with Sam Altman.

President Donald Trump addressed Elon Musk’s sharp criticism of the $500 billion Stargate AI project during a press briefing at the White House on Thursday, attributing the tech mogul’s remarks to personal animosity.

Musk had publicly cast doubt on the viability of the AI infrastructure investment announced on Tuesday, stating on his X platform, “They don’t actually have the money. SoftBank has well under $10B secured. I have that on good authority.”

When asked about Musk’s comments, Trump responded, “No, he hates one of the people,” referencing Musk’s apparent disdain for OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who is a key figure in the project. “I’ve spoken to Elon—spoken to all of them, actually. The people in the deal are very, very smart people—but Elon, one of the people he happens to hate. But I have certain hatreds of people too.”

The Stargate project, a collaborative effort between OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle, aims to expand artificial intelligence infrastructure in the United States. The initial investment of $100 billion is expected to grow to $500 billion over the coming years. Trump emphasized that the government would not be contributing funds to the initiative, saying, “They’re putting up the money. The government’s not putting up anything… they’re very rich people, so I hope they do.”

President Trump says he's not bothered that Elon Musk criticized Stargate deal: “He hates one of the people in the deal," he said. "The people in the deal are very, very smart people. But Elon, one of the people he happens to hate. But I have certain hatreds of people too.”

— Matt Viser (@mviser) January 23, 2025

Musk’s criticism marks a significant rift within Trump’s inner circle, as the Tesla and SpaceX CEO has been a close ally of the administration. Musk was present in the Oval Office earlier this week when Trump signed a pardon for Ross William Ulbricht, the founder of the dark web marketplace Silk Road. Musk has also supported efforts to secure pardons for January 6 rioters.

The feud between Musk and Altman runs deeper than Stargate. Musk has an ongoing lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the company of straying from its original nonprofit mission by reserving advanced AI technology for private clients. Musk has openly stated that he “doesn’t trust” Altman.

Altman, who joined Trump at the White House for the announcement, hit back at Musk’s comments on X, stating, “Wrong, as you surely know. Want to come visit the first site already under way? This is great for the country. I realize what is great for the country isn’t always what’s optimal for your companies, but in your new role I hope you’ll mostly put [America] first.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the project in a Fox News interview, saying, “The American people should take President Trump and those CEOs’ words for it.”

As the Stargate initiative unfolds, it remains to be seen whether Musk’s criticism will impact the ambitious AI project’s trajectory or further fuel tensions within Trump’s tech alliances.