Trump and Musk’s epic breakup explained, from White House besties to public trolling

The alliance between US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk spectacularly imploded Thursday as the world’s most prominent bromance collapsed into mutual public trolling.

For months, as Mr Musk emerged as the president’s constant companion and self-proclaimed “first buddy,” the question hovered of how long a duet could last between two men used to soloing on centre stage. Thursday’s angry exchanges provided a definitive answer.

The breakup also highlighted the political and financial risks each man could now face from a prolonged quarrel: Mr Musk, who spent at least $288 million in 2024 to help elect Mr Trump and other Republicans, accused the president of “such ingratitude” and publicly mused about starting a third party.

Mr Trump responded by threatening Mr Musk’s government contracts. The stock price of Tesla, the electric vehicle company Mr Musk owns, fell sharply, down 14 percent at the market close.

The public unravelling began in the Oval Office where Mr Trump spoke to reporters at the start of a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

“Elon and I had a great relationship,” he said. “I don’t know if we will anymore.”

The quarrel escalated rapidly from there, with the two men blasting out angry posts on their respective social media platforms.

Mr Musk, posting on X, asked his 220 million followers if it was time to “create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?”

He further signalled his estrangement from Trump’s orbit by “unfollowing” Stephen Miller, one of Trump’s top aides, whose wife has been working for Mr Musk.

Mr Trump responded with posts on Truth Social saying that “the easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it.”

Mr Musk’s business empire is heavily reliant on automotive regulatory credits, as well as space and defence contracts. His companies have received at least $38 billion in government funds, according to a Washington Post analysis.

Mr Musk volleyed back, declaring it was “time to drop the really big bomb” that Trump “is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day DJT!”

Files linked to the investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have emerged as a point of fixation for Trump and his allies and right-wing media figures. They have speculated without evidence that government officials have participated in a cover-up to protect famous associates of Epstein, whom they assert may have participated in his crimes.

Mr Musk, who has a history of making and amplifying false claims, offered no evidence for his accusation. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the accusation.

The escalating exchanges sharply contrasted with the mood during the campaign and the first phase of the new administration.

Mr Musk endorsed Mt Trump in the hours after the July 13 shooting at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. And in the months that followed, he constantly appeared by Mr Trump’s side.

Even as Mr Musk clashed with other top officials in the Trump administration, his relationship with the president appeared remarkably resilient despite his cost-cutting efforts falling far short of his goals and public disapproval of the billionaire’s role in the White House.

Just last week, the president presented Mr Musk with a ceremonial key in the Oval Office and called him “one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced.”

On Tuesday, however, Mr Musk began publicly criticising the One Big Beautiful Bill, the cornerstone of Trump’s legislative agenda. He urged lawmakers to “KILL the BILL” and repeatedly warned that the plan would add to the deficit.

The Congressional Budget Office projected on Thursday that the overall price tag of the measure would be $3 trillion over the next decade, an estimate that the administration has disputed.

White House officials initially insisted that all remained friendly between the two men, but Thursday’s broadside from Mr Trump made clear that was not the case.

The unravelling “happened faster than I thought,” said one Mr Musk ally, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive subject. “What Elon really wanted is to be president, I think.”

Several friends of Mr Musk, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid getting dragged into a public fight, noted that the war of words taking place between the two men represented not just a personal falling out, but the public surfacing of a fight between the tech right and the populist MAGA movement, which share some goals, but disagree deeply on several issues.

“It was a rejection by MAGA and Congress of technocratic reform and instead keeping basically status quo on everything of consequence,” said one of the people. The person acknowledged that Mr Musk came to Washington with high hopes that he could orchestrate a systematic change, but instead was stuck with high tariffs and a bill that would leave the country with spiralling debt.

“Total loss,” the person added.

Tesla investors braced themselves as they watched Mr Musk’s relationship with the President go up in flames. “Can someone please take the phone away from him! wtf! Tesla is getting destroyed,” investor Ross Gerber, a one-time Musk booster, posted on X.

“My god this is bad for Tesla and Elon,” Gerber said in a text message. “Elon is mistaken to think he has anything like the power Trump has.”

Mr Trump suggested that Mr Musk’s criticisms were rooted in his concerns about Tesla. The administration’s legislative package would slash subsidies for owners of electric vehicles, which have helped make Tesla’s cars - which can cost upward of $80,000 - more affordable for American consumers. Tesla is reeling from a 71 percent dip in profits and a double-digit slip in sales in the first quarter, compared to the same time period last year.

“I’m very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here. Better than you people. He knew everything about it. He had no problem with it,” Mr Trump said in response to a reporter’s question about Mr Musk’s criticisms. “All of a sudden he had a problem. And he only developed the problem when he found out that we’re going to have to cut the EV mandate, because that’s billions and billions of dollars.”

Mr Musk denied that in a post on X, saying he never saw the text of the bill.

“Whatever. Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!),” he added. “But ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill.”

Mr Trump has raised cutting the $7,500 EV tax credit since the campaign, but Mr Musk doubled down on his commitment to the Republican candidate, declaring in a July earnings call that removing electric-vehicle incentives would be “devastating for our competitors” and only “hurt Tesla slightly.”

It’s unclear what Mr Musk was referring to with his references to “pork.” The bill extends tax cuts and makes good on Trump campaign promises to eliminate taxes on tips and overtime. It also would increase spending on immigration enforcement and defence and make a major reduction in the number of people covered by Medicaid.

The bill would also raise the government’s debt limit, which Mr Musk attacked by resurfacing old social media posts from Mr Trump that criticised Republicans for previous extensions of the debt ceiling.

“Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” Mr Musk claimed. He did not specify which Senate seats he thought Republicans would have lost without his financial support.

In the Oval Office, Mr Trump anticipated that Mr Musk’s criticism would become personal, saying that he thinks Mr Musk “misses the place.”

He suggested such hostility was common among officials who departed from his administration.

“It’s sort of Trump Derangement syndrome, I guess they call it,” he said.

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