The once-powerful alliance between Donald Trump and Elon Musk exploded into open warfare on Thursday, with public insults, financial threats, and bruised egos now defining the relationship between the former president and the tech billionaire.
Elon Musk, who funneled hundreds of millions into Trump’s 2024 re-election through his America PAC, took credit for Trump’s victory and the Republican hold on Congress—only to be met with sharp rebukes from Trump himself.
“Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” Musk posted on X. “Such ingratitude.”
Trump, furious over Musk’s relentless attacks on his Republican budget bill—which Musk called a “disgusting abomination”—fired back within hours on Truth Social.
“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” Trump wrote, signaling a direct threat to Musk’s federally supported ventures, including Tesla and SpaceX.
Speaking from the Oval Office alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump mocked Musk’s appearance and suggested the billionaire’s opposition to the bill was selfish.
“I’m very disappointed with Elon,” Trump said. “He only developed a problem with the bill when he found out we’re going to cut the EV mandate. All of a sudden, he’s against it.”
Musk didn’t hold back, instantly returning fire online:
“False,” Musk wrote on X. “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!”
The feud marks the dramatic collapse of a partnership that once defied political norms. Tesla shares plummeted nearly 12% following Trump’s remarks, underscoring the real-world fallout of a feud that now threatens both political and financial empires.
