Less than a week after lavishing and admiring each other in their oval offices, US President Donald Trump and the world’s wealthiest man Elon Musk fell spectacularly and publicly.
In a war of words that escalated on Thursday, both men took them to their social media platforms and attacked others.
Many political analysts predicted that their alliance would not last, but the rate of infidelity was dramatic.
Last Friday, Trump celebrated Musk’s work as head of the Government Efficiency Bureau (DOGE) and oversaw billions of dollars cuts in federal spending.
The South African-born billionaire had decided to leave his job with the US government to focus on his business, struggling as a result of his foray into politics.
In a postponement at the White House last Friday, the US president called Musk “one of the great business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced.”
“He has moved forward to pour his incredibly great talent into the service of our nation, and we appreciate it,” Trump said.
“I just want to say that Elon has worked tirelessly to lead the most drastic and consequential government reform program of his generation,” he added.
In response, Musk, who was given a Golden Key featuring a White House insignia, said he would continue to visit Trump as “friends and advisors.”
Looking around Trump’s new golden decoration room, the entrepreneur said:
But the sheen of the previous close relationship has now completely disappeared.
After billionaires’ friendship worsened this week and their conflict deepened, questions were raised about the damage that two of the world’s most powerful men could potentially do with each other.
Musk could withhold tens of millions of dollars in campaign contributions promised, but Trump is threatening to cut billions of dollars in government contracts and subsidies with Musk’s company.
“Ugly bill”
The public rift between the two men began to open Tuesday when Musk took him to X to criticize Trump’s “big and beautiful bill.”
The bill, which passed narrowly through the House of Representatives last month, faces challenges in the Senate, includes massive tax cuts and a national debt cap increase.
MUSK said the bill would undermine all Doge’s savings, began forcefully denounce it this week.
Musk said the bill was “large, outrageous, full of pork” and “a nasty hatred.”
Tesla’s CEO also accused House Republicans of voting for what he calls the “Big Ugly Bill.”
Escalation of conflict
Despite Musk’s strength in language, it wasn’t until Thursday that the feud between him and Trump completely escalated.
On Thursday morning, Musk reposted several old Trump social media posts, including what the current US president said “members of Congress should not qualify for reelection.”
“I couldn’t agree any more,” Musk wrote, directly criticizing Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bills.
Around noon Thursday, Trump responded in an oval office during a visit from German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz.
Trump said he was “very disappointed” with Musk before expressing doubt about whether their “great relationship” would last.
The conflict has since become more personal, with Musk giving Trump’s campaign hundreds of millions of dollars last year, saying the US president would not be in the White House without him.
“Without me, Trump would lose the election, Dems would control the House and Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” Musk wrote to X.
“That kind of dissatisfaction,” he concluded.
Lamp up
Things came to my mind late on a Thursday afternoon.
“The easiest way to save money on our budget, billions, billions of dollars is to end Elon’s government subsidies and contracts,” writes Trump on his true social platform.
“I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do that!” he added.
Musk retaliated by claiming that Trump’s name appeared on the pedophile files.
The White House said Thursday evening that Epstein’s claims by Musk were “an unfortunate episode.”
The Trump administration suggests criticism of the tech billionaire’s groundbreaking bill, which stems from something Musk has denied, that it doesn’t include policies that favor him.
By Thursday evening, the masks appeared open to eliminating the situation.
After Trump’s ally and hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, the two men wrote that “peace should be made for the interests of our great nation,” Musk replied that he was “not wrong.”
