A dramatic public feud erupted on Thursday between US President Donald Trump and tech titan Elon Musk, transforming a once-effusive alliance into a bitter war of words.
The acrimony commenced on Thursday morning during a White House media event, where Trump expressed profound disappointment in Musk, following the billionaire’s vocal condemnation of the administration’s sweeping domestic agenda bill.
“Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore,” Trump told reporters in a stark reversal from less than a week prior, when the two exchanged effusive praise. This earlier commendation coincided with Musk’s departure from the administration, where he held special government employee status to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
When Musk announced that his tenure in the Trump administration as the leader of DOGE had "come to an end," congressional allies of Musk asserted that his departure would not impact the future of the agency.
However, the tone shifted dramatically when Musk began to strongly criticize what President Trump has dubbed his “Big, Beautiful Bill.” The GOP legislation, encompassing taxes, spending cuts, energy, and border policy, recently passed the House of Representatives and now faces an uncertain future in the Senate.
On Tuesday, Musk labeled the bill a “disgusting abomination,” citing projections that it would significantly increase the national deficit. The Tesla CEO explicitly denied that the elimination of America’s electric vehicle (EV) tax incentives within the bill had any bearing on his opposition. A source familiar with the dynamic told CNN that President Trump and Musk have not communicated since Musk’s public denunciation of the legislation.
Responding to Musk’s criticisms, President Trump asserted that the tech billionaire "knew every aspect of this bill. He knew it better than almost anybody, and he never had a problem until right after he left.” The President then suggested that the Tesla CEO “only developed the problem after he found out we had to cut the EV mandate,” referencing electric vehicles.
Trump further speculated that while Musk had not yet personally attacked him, such an attack could be imminent. He also floated the possibility of terminating government contracts with Musk’s companies.
In a stunning real-time counter-response on X, Musk immediately refuted Trump’s claims. He denied any prior detailed knowledge of the agenda bill’s inner workings and reiterated that the removal of the EV tax credit was not the basis of his opposition.
Musk then escalated the feud, claiming that Trump and congressional Republicans would have lost the 2024 election without his support. He further engaged his followers by asking whether he should create a new political party.
In a particularly sensational claim, Musk asserted that the President is “in the Epstein files” and that this is the “real reason” those records have not been publicly released. Musk offered no evidence to support this claim or to detail how he would have gained access to unreleased files.
Adding to the dramatic exchange, Musk publicly agreed with an X post advocating for President Trump’s impeachment and for Vice President JD Vance to succeed him.