In just a few months, Elon Musk and Donald Trump have gone from fast friends to public adversaries. What began as a mutually beneficial alliance—Musk’s tech empire gaining influence in Washington, Trump’s administration enjoying high‐profile private-sector backing—has unraveled into one of the year’s most sensational political feuds.
A Promising Partnership
Musk’s support for Trump’s 2024 reelection bid was massive and unmistakable: roughly $288 million in direct donations, an Oval Office meeting to tout regulatory reforms, and Musk’s own stint as a “special government employee” charged with streamlining federal operations. Together, they painted a picture of Silicon Valley and the White House working hand in glove to modernize government.
The Budget Clash That Broke It
The rupture came in early June, when Musk publicly denounced Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill”—the administration’s sweeping tax-and-spend package—as a “disgusting abomination.” He warned that the trillion-dollar legislation would balloon America’s debt and undermine the fiscal discipline he’d been hired to promote. Trump aides fired back, insisting the package contained crucial deficit-reduction measures and calling Musk’s critique “self-serving.”
Tweets, Threats, and a Deleted Bombshell
Musk escalated the firestorm on X (formerly Twitter), asserting—without providing evidence—that Trump’s name appears in the unreleased Jeffrey Epstein files and vowing to “drop the really big bomb” unless they were published. Within 48 hours, Musk deleted those tweets, but not before Trump took to Truth Social to accuse him of disrespecting the presidency and threaten to pull billions in government contracts and subsidies from Tesla and SpaceX.
White House Pushback and GOP Reactions
Behind closed doors, Trump toyed with the idea of rescinding much-sought tax credits and NASA launch contracts—critical to Musk’s businesses. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the tech titan’s comments as opportunistic, while Vice President JD Vance privately warned Musk that his attacks were “a huge mistake.” Yet senior White House officials are said to be weighing the political fallout carefully: Musk remains a figure who can deliver jobs, investment, and global prestige, even as his public rebuke stings.
“White House PTSD” and a Father’s Warning
The most personal twist arrived courtesy of Musk’s own father, Errol Musk. Speaking to the Daily Mail from Moscow—where Elon was delivering a speech—Errol claimed his son is suffering from “PTSD from the White House” and now believes he “made a mistake” by helping Trump win in 2024. According to Errol, Elon underestimated the cutthroat nature of D.C. politics and is still grappling with the emotional toll of his brief government tenure.
Business and Market Implications
Analysts warn that the spat could translate into real financial consequences. Tesla stock experienced a sharp pullback in the days following the dispute, and SpaceX’s lucrative NASA and Department of Defense contracts hang in the balance. Moreover, uncertainty around EV tax credits and broadband-deployment grants for Starlink have rattled investors. If Trump follows through on threats to revoke or delay subsidies, the ripple effects could stall key advances in clean energy and space exploration.
What Comes Next?
With both sides digging in, the question now is how—or if—this schism will heal. Musk has teased the launch of a new political movement to appeal to centrists disillusioned with both major parties. Trump, for his part, has shown little willingness to forgive public slights against his presidency. As each tweet, threat, or deleted post reverberates through corporate boardrooms and political back channels, one thing is clear: the once-solid alliance between Musk and Trump has fractured, and its aftermath may shape the intersection of American politics and technology for years to come.
