President Donald Trump delivered a memorable line about Elon Musk during a midterm campaign rally in Bullhead City, Arizona, on October 14, 2026, calling the tech billionaire an “80 percent super genius” while joking that the remaining share involves “a little problem.”
Speaking at Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport while stumping for Republican gubernatorial candidate Andy Biggs against Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, Trump turned to intelligence contrasts.
“First of all, she’s a dumb person. You ever see her?”
He said of Hobbs.
“I know smart people. I mean, I deal from Elon down to Katie. I figure there’s a big gap. No, Elon’s 80 percent super genius and 20 percent he got a little problem, I always tell him. No, he’s a great guy, though.”
The remark came in a light, offhand tone amid broader attacks on Hobbs as “horrible” and claims she does “the bidding of the cartels.” Trump then shifted to other topics, including a recent meeting with China’s president. He did not explain what the “little problem” meant.
The comment fits the pair’s on-again, off-again dynamic. Musk led the Department of Government Efficiency after Trump’s return to office, then publicly clashed with him in 2025 over spending legislation and Epstein-related allegations. By late 2026, Musk had re-engaged as a major Republican donor. Reports confirmed he directed more than $276 million to GOP groups and his America PAC since July, part of roughly $366 million in cycle spending that made him the largest known midterm donor.
Trump has used similar language before. In a September 2025 interview he described Musk as having “80% super genius, and then 20% he’s got some problems,” expressing hope the two would fully realign. The Arizona version kept the same playful framing while primarily serving as a partisan dig at Hobbs ahead of the November 3 elections.
In the middle of a high-stakes midterm push, the line underscores how Trump’s relationships with influential figures like Musk remain transactional and unpredictable even when the checks keep coming.
