Nigeria, June 8 -- Former President Donald Trump issued a thinly disguised threat to tech mogul Elon Musk that if Musk supported Democratic senators who favor the Democratic opponents of the most recent Republican-sponsored spending bill on the Senate floor, there will be "serious consequences."

Trump made the remark in a phone interview with NBC News' Kristen Welker. Trump indicated he views Musk's recent rants and political support as an attack on Republican unity and his political agenda in general. Trump declined to elaborate on what he meant by consequences, but his tone was combatively dismissive.

Trump, whose on-again-off-again relationship with the founder of Tesla and SpaceX has been acrimonious, addressed what he described as ...