
The relationship between President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk has deteriorated into a public dispute, with both men exchanging harsh criticisms over Trump’s domestic spending legislation.
The conflict escalated throughout Thursday on their respective social media platforms, marking a dramatic turn in their previously collaborative partnership. Trump initially expressed disappointment with Musk’s opposition to his administration’s major tax and spending bill, questioning whether their “great relationship” could continue.
Musk responded by accusing Trump of “ingratitude” and claiming “, Without me, Trump would have lost the election.” However, both appeared to moderate their positions later, with Trump telling Politico, “It’s going very well, never done better” and his aides scheduling a Friday phone call with Musk. Musk also acknowledged the need for reconciliation in response to a post by Trump supporter Bill Ackman.
The dispute centers on Trump’s spending bill, which passed the House and awaits Senate approval. After leaving his role at the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) following 129 days, Musk criticized the legislation as a “disgusting abomination” on his platform X, arguing it would irresponsibly increase national debt.
During a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump defended the bill and expressed disappointment with Musk’s opposition, suggesting the Tesla CEO was concerned about removal of electric vehicle subsidies affecting his business interests.
Musk denied this motivation, stating he supported keeping EV incentive cuts while opposing what he termed the “MOUNTAIN OF DISGUSTING PORK” in the bill. He later posted a poll asking followers about creating a new political party and made various accusations against Trump, including unsubstantiated claims about Jeffrey Epstein files.
Their partnership began when Musk endorsed Trump following a July assassination attempt, reportedly contributing $290 million to his election campaign. Musk credited himself with the Republican electoral victory, claiming Trump would have lost without his support.
The White House condemned Musk’s allegations through press secretary Karoline Leavitt, calling it “an unfortunate episode” from someone “unhappy” with the spending bill. Trump responded on Truth Social, claiming Musk “just went CRAZY” and suggesting terminating Musk’s government subsidies and contracts as a cost-saving measure.
Musk initially threatened to decommission SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which transports people and supplies to the International Space Station, but later retracted this threat. Tesla stock fell 14% as the public dispute unfolded.
The Congressional Budget Office projects the spending bill will increase national debt by $2.4 trillion over ten years and leave nearly 11 million people without government-backed health insurance. The White House disputes these figures, citing revenue from increased tariffs.
As head of Doge, Musk implemented significant staff reductions and eliminated entire departments, including USAID. While Doge claims $180 billion in savings, this figure has been disputed and falls short of Musk’s initial goal of $2 trillion in reduction.
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