Elon Musk says it's time for Trump to 'sail into the sunset'

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said Monday that he thinks former President Donald Trump should, "hang up his hat & sail into the sunset."

Writing on Twitter, where Musk has more than 100 million followers, the celebrity CEO said: "I don't hate the man, but it's time for Trump to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset. Dems should also call off the attack – don't make it so that Trump's only way to survive is to regain the Presidency."

A bipartisan House select committee is conducting public hearings to present initial findings from a yearlong investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol by a violent mob of Trump's supporters. The panel's next public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday morning.

Over the weekend, Trump called Musk a "bull---- artist" claiming that Musk said he voted for Trump in previous conversations between the two men. But Musk tweeted to deny that claim and hit back at Trump on Monday evening.

The Tesla CEO previously said his first vote for a Republican was for Mayra Flores, the winner of a special election in South Texas in June.

Last month, Musk also revealed that he was "leaning" toward voting for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, should he run for president in 2024.

Musk's comments about Trump came after a tense day for his businesses.

SpaceX, his reusable rocket company, conducted a ground test of a rocket booster that ended in an unexpected explosion in Boca Chica, Texas.

Musk also faced a legal challenge from Twitter on Monday, after seeking to terminate an earlier deal he struck to acquire the social network for $54.20 per share. Twitter says his basis for terminating the deal was "invalid and wrongful."

Musk's electric vehicle maker, Tesla, saw its shares decline Monday after Shanghai ramped up mass testing for Covid following reports of two dozen new cases there. The testing raised fears of a resurgence and more lockdowns that could once again hamper Tesla's factory operations in China.