Contest between Musk and Trump: A previous partnership disintegrates into a heated dispute
laying the smackdown: the uncensored saga of elon musk and donald trump
Detonating the friendship: Elon Musk, the world's richest man, has gone from working side-by-side with President Donald Trump to slinging mud in a public war of words. Trump, in response, has threatened to pull government contracts from Musk's companies. In a statement for U.S. broadcaster ABC, Trump dismissed a potential reconciliation meeting, calling Musk out of his mind.
The spark: Tensions between Musk and Trump ignited around the tax and spending bill on which Trump was pushing. Musk, who had been advising Trump on significant government spending cuts, now demands deeper cuts – and more publicly so.
During his meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump implied that Musk was driven by personal gain, as the tech mogul is CEO of electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla. Trump, pointing out that Musk had no problem with the bill until realizing it included cuts to subsidies for electric vehicles, accused Musk of lying.
Musk doesn't back down: The 53-year-old billionaire took to his influential online platform X, urging Republican congress members to side with him on the bill. "Trump has three and a half years left as president - and I'll be around for more than 40," he wrote to Congress members, hinting at his incredible longevity and financial might.
The icing on the cake: Musk accused Trump of being linked to notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, suggesting that the reason the Epstein documents weren't released was to protect Trump. Musk provided no evidence and didn't have access to the documents.
Stock market backlash: Musk retweeted a post suggesting Trump's removal from office, causing Tesla's stock to plunge. In response, Trump threatened financial consequences for Musk's company. As a result, SpaceX announced immediate decommissioning of the Dragon spacecraft critical for NASA's human spaceflight missions, but later seemed to retract the decision.
From friends to foes: The alliance between Trump and Musk started off strong, built on a display of unity. But speculation surrounding their relationship indicated that the "bromance" was merely a matter of convenience, and it couldn't last forever given their enormous egos.
In the past, Musk had expressed concerns about Trump's policies, particularly echoing support for Hillary Clinton's economic and environmental stances. During Trump's first term, Musk left the President's economic advisory councils due to disagreements over the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accords.
Since the beginning of their relationship, Musk has been involved in many things that exceeded his actual area of responsibility as an unappointed government advisor. Despite this, Trump remained silent on the Epstein allegations until later. Trump associates told CNN they didn't believe the relationship between the two could recover from Musk's attack.
- Social media erupted as Elon Musk, using his influential platform X, publicly urged Republican congress members to support his stance on the tax and spending bill, potentially causing friction with President Donald Trump.
- Beyond war-and-conflicts and politics, the battle between Musk and Trump extended into pop-culture territory when Musk accused Trump of being linked to Jeffrey Epstein, providing no evidence and causing further strain in their relationship.
- In the realm of policy-and-legislation, Musk's confrontational approach towards Trump, such as his demand for deeper cuts in government spending, has resulted in threats of government contract withdrawals from Trump's side.
- General-news outlets reported on the once strong alliance between Musk and Trump turning sour, with Musk's criticism of Trump's policies and Trump's silence on the Epstein allegations being key factors in their descent from friends to foes.
