The once seemingly cordial relationship between former U.S. President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk took a dramatic and public nosedive on Thursday, unfolding in real-time across interviews and social media posts. The conflict appeared to have been ignited by Musk’s criticism of a major tax and spending bill championed by Trump, which he labeled as a “disgusting abomination.”
In response to Musk’s comment, Trump addressed reporters from the Oval Office, expressing his dismay: “Elon and I had a good relationship—at least I thought we did. I didn’t expect this,” he said, suggesting a rupture in what had once been a mutual alliance.
Musk, never one to stay silent, swiftly responded via his social platform X, urging lawmakers to “ditch the mountain of disgusting pork” in the bill, suggesting that a leaner, more focused version would be preferable. Trump’s irritation seemed to deepen when he accused Musk of being intimately familiar with the bill’s components. Musk denied this claim, clarifying that he had never even seen the bill before its rapid approval.
Shortly after, Musk escalated matters, posting that Trump owed his electoral success to him, claiming his influence had tipped the balance in favor of Republicans. “Such ingratitude,” Musk added, fueling the fire.
By early afternoon, Musk pinned a provocative tweet asking whether America needed a new political party representing the moderate majority. Trump responded by threatening to cancel government contracts awarded to Musk’s companies, remarking that such cuts could save “billions.” Notably, U.S. media estimate the value of these contracts to be around $18 billion.
Musk didn’t hold back. In a shocking revelation, he insinuated that Trump’s name appears in the sealed Epstein files, implying that was why they remain classified. Trump then doubled down on his support for the bill, calling it “one of the greatest.”
Musk briefly announced that SpaceX would begin dismantling its Dragon spacecraft, vital for NASA operations. However, he later softened that stance, saying, “OK, we won’t decommission Dragon,” leaving his exact intentions ambiguous.
The very public feud highlighted a significant fallout between two of the most influential figures in modern American politics and technology.