Dave Portnoy has claimed he had been asked to join President Trump’s Department of Commerce, but refused as he didn’t want to give up his company.
Appearing on Fox’s Varney & Co, Portnoy said: ‘They said a condition would be I can’t run Barstool Sports. Do you have somebody who could run it?
‘Now, I don’t know if it was serious if I said yes, but if you’re running a company, it’s tough to also run the government it would seem.’
Portnoy then threw praise behind Tesla boss and DOGE Chief Elon Musk and his efforts to cut government spending, but did some raise questions over his work.
He questioned how present Musk can be in running his other businesses, like Tesla, while his DOGE work dominates the headline.
Portnoy added: ‘I’m a big stockholder of Tesla and I certainly raise my eyebrows. I like DOGE, I like what they’re doing.
But let me tell you this, if you’re going to send out, and you got to call it both ways, if you’re going to send emails to federal workers and say, “What have you done for the last five days?”
‘I think Tesla shareholders are entitled to ask their CEO, Elon Musk, “What have you done for Tesla the last five days?”.
Appearing on Fox’s Varney & Co, Portnoy questioned how present Musk can be in running his other businesses, like Tesla, while his DOGE work dominates the headline
Elon Musk shows off his t-shirt reading “Tech Support” while speaking at the first cabinet meeting hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump
‘Seemingly all he cares about right now is DOGE. Now, could it be coincidence that the stock is down 25% since he really started this? I guess.’
Despite a rise in its stock price after Trump returned to the White House, the company is on pace for their worst month on record.
Portnoy added: ‘But I think it’s fair, as a shareholder of Tesla, to say, “What are you doing for Tesla shareholders?”
‘Now maybe you’re greasing the wheels, and you’ll get some deals through the government. I don’t know, but it’s certainly in bounds to ask.’
His remarks come after Portnoy, a Trump supporter, posted on his X saying air his grievances about certain issues annoying him about the new administration.
He said: ‘If I’m gonna be fair these questions needs to be asked today. Why is the release of the Epstein list always a shit show?
‘What’s the point of booting out illegals and criminals while somehow becoming a safe haven for the Tate brothers?
‘Why is Crypto in the toilet if Trump is crypto king? How far does Tesla stock have to crash before Elon goes back to work?’
Portnoy attends the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics during Game 4 of the 2024 NBA Finals on June 14, 2024
Despite a rise in its stock price after Trump returned to the White House, the company is on pace for their worst month on record
Portnoy’s comments mark the first time he has seemingly felt unhappy with Trump since coming out in support of him at last year’s election.
Portnoy was hugely critical of the Democrats too. He explained his reasons for backing Trump after his emphatic victory last November, saying: ‘He didn’t just win, he won for fun.
‘He won the electoral, he won the popular vote, he got more votes than last time he was president. Just a total ringing endorsement for the Republicans and Donald Trump, and an indictment against the Democrats – and that’s really this rant.
‘Some people are asking, “How did Donald Trump get more votes than he did last time?”
‘Well here’s the answer: People like myself, independents or moderates, the Democrats gave us no choice. The Democrats gave us no choice.
‘That was the worst campaign, and their pure arrogance and moral superiority have driven people away.’
