The once-powerful alliance between US President Donald Trump and Tesla boss Elon Musk has completely fallen apart, turning into a bitter public feud that’s playing out across social media and news channels. What started as political disagreements has now spiraled into personal attacks, big accusations, and serious threats - with billions of dollars already lost and more damage likely.
It all blew up on Thursday when Elon Musk made a shocking post online. He claimed that Trump’s name appears in secret court documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier with a history of sexual exploitation of children, abuse and ties to powerful people. Musk shared an old quote from Trump in a 2002 magazine article where Trump had said, “He’s a lot of fun to be with... he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.” Musk ended his post with the line, “Have a nice day, DJT!” and added, “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”
Earlier that day, during a press event at the White House with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, reporters asked Trump about Musk’s criticism of his new budget bill. Trump didn’t hide his feelings.
“Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore,” Trump said. “I’m very disappointed in Elon. He knew every part of this bill. He knew it better than almost anybody, and he never had a problem with it until after he left.”
Trump also added, “He said the most beautiful things about me, and he hasn’t said anything bad about me personally — yet. But I’m sure that’ll be next. I’ve helped Elon a lot.”
Musk quickly replied on X, calling Trump’s claims false.
“False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!” he wrote.
Musk then added, “Without me, Trump would have lost the election. Such ingratitude.”
Things got even more heated when Trump threatened to cancel Musk’s government contracts and funding.
“The easiest way to save money in our Budget — Billions and Billions of Dollars — is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” Trump posted on his platform, Truth Social. “I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it.”
Musk fired back with a major threat of his own — that he might shut down the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which had recently helped rescue astronauts stuck on the International Space Station. That kind of move could throw America’s space programs into total chaos.
Musk didn’t stop there. He reposted a message from a conservative influencer saying Trump should be impeached and replaced by Senator JD Vance. Musk simply added: “Yes.”
He also warned that Trump’s planned tariffs on global trade could lead to a recession later this year. Then he launched an online poll asking if the US needs a new political party.
Meanwhile, the fight has hit Musk’s business hard. Tesla’s stock crashed by more than 14% in one day, wiping out around $152 billion in company value. Musk personally lost nearly $9 billion of his fortune on Thursday alone, according to Bloomberg.
Back on Truth Social, Trump continued his attacks. “I don’t mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago,” Trump wrote. “This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. It’s a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesn’t pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase and far worse.”
He added, “I didn’t create this mess, I’m just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”
Trump also claimed he was the one who pushed Musk out. “Elon was wearing thin. I asked him to leave. I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY,” he posted.
Musk replied to that post by calling it “Such an obvious lie. So sad.”
Another user on X shared Trump’s post and said, “Trump fires back at Elon. The online battle begins.” Musk simply responded to that with, “Such an obvious lie.”
He also reposted another user who wrote: “What a waste of time by our President. Rather than making this about Elon, he should simply explain 1) how this bill will reduce the deficit and 2) how he will make it happen. He was elected to lead, not fight with citizens.”
Trump had earlier accused Musk of being upset because the new budget plan removes tax breaks for electric cars, which could hurt Tesla. But Musk said that’s not true — and that the real problem is the government spending too much money.
He also called out top Republican leaders like House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, saying they’ve let spending get out of control.
“Congress is spending America into bankruptcy!” Musk posted.
Its needless to say that the fight between Trump and Musk has now gone far beyond a political disagreement. It’s become deeply personal, highly public, and incredibly costly, for both of them, and possibly for the country too.
Also Read: “Bankrupting America is NOT OK”: Musk Urges Public Revolt Against Trump’s Economic Plan
/pratidin/media/agency_attachments/2024/11/06/2024-11-06t060101441z-pratidin-logo.png){kind=logo}
/pratidin/media/media_files/2025/02/10/cFnnhwfwKNBYaDve7ox0.jpg)
Follow Us/pratidin/media/media_files/2025/06/06/SmnqrCG3eztobjBZkCLM.webp)