Donald Trump–Elon Musk Feud Erupts: Public Barbs, Ugly Threats, Impeachment Calls
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A public fallout erupted between Trump and Elon Musk after Trump threatened to cut government contracts with Musk’s companies, prompting Musk to call for Trump’s impeachment.
Donald Trump/Elon Musk (Photos: AP)
US President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s bromance turned into an all-out brawl on social media on Thursday, with the former threatening to cut off government contracts with Musk, while the X CEO suggested Trump should be impeached.
This comes a day after Musk slammed Trump’s signature spending bill, urging people to contact their lawmakers to “kill” the legislation.
Also criticising Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill Act’, Musk said it would add to the already ballooning national debt.
The President initially held his tongue while Musk campaigned to torpedo the bill, saying it would add too much to the nation’s $36.2 trillion in debt.
Trump broke his silence on Thursday, telling reporters in the Oval Office he was “very disappointed” in Musk.
“I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office as visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz looked on silently.
“Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore.”
A hurt-sounding Trump, 78, noted in a 10-minute diatribe that it had been only a week since he hosted a grand farewell for Musk as he left the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Trump later called Musk “crazy” and insisted he had asked the tycoon to leave because he was “wearing thin.”
As Trump spoke, Musk responded in real time with increasingly acerbic posts on X.
“Without me, Trump would have lost the election,” wrote Musk, who spent nearly $300 million backing Trump and other Republicans in last year’s election. “Such ingratitude.”
In another post, Musk asserted that Trump’s signature tariffs would push the US into a recession later this year.
ALSO READ | ‘Very Disappointed’: 5 Reasons Why Trump, Elon Musk’s Bromance Ended Over Mega Tax Bill
Besides Tesla, Musk’s businesses include rocket company and government contractor SpaceX and its satellite unit Starlink.
Musk, whose space business plays a critical role in the US government’s space program, said that as a result of Trump’s threats, he would begin decommissioning SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft.
Dragon is the only US spacecraft capable of sending astronauts to the International Space Station.
Hurling more insults at each other on social media, Musk wrote that Trump was referenced in government documents on disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, claiming the same as the reason for the Trump administration not releasing all records related to the sex abuser.
Meanwhile, responding to media queries, a White House spokesperson on Thursday said Musk’s views on the bill won’t change President Trump’s opinions.
Hours later, the once-close relationship disintegrated in full public view, as the world’s most powerful man and its richest launched more personal barbs at one another on Trump’s Truth Social and Musk’s X.
“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,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Later, responding to Trump’s post, Musk wrote that Trump should be impeached.
He also wrote “Yes,” in response to another user who wrote “President vs Elon. Who wins? My money’s on Elon. Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should replace him.”
Trump’s Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of Congress and are highly unlikely to impeach him.
Speculation had long swirled that a relationship between the world’s richest person and its most powerful could not last long — but the speed of the meltdown took Washington by surprise, AFP stated.
WAS THE FEUD EXPECTED?
The feud was not entirely unexpected. Trump and Musk are both political pugilists with sizable egos and a penchant for using social media to punch back against their perceived enemies, and many observers had predicted an eventual falling out, according to Reuters.
Even before Musk’s departure from the administration last week, his influence had waned following a series of clashes with cabinet members over his cuts to their agencies.
For Trump, the fight was the first major rift he has had with a top adviser since taking office for a second time, after his first term was marked by numerous blow-ups.
Trump parted ways with multiple chiefs of staff, national security advisers and political strategists during his 2017-2021 White House tenure. A few, like Steve Bannon, remained in his good graces, while many others, like Ambassador John Bolton, became loud and vocal critics.
After serving as the biggest Republican donor in the 2024 campaign season, Musk became one of Trump’s most visible advisers as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, which mounted a sweeping and controversial effort to downsize the federal workforce and slash spending.
Musk was frequently present at the White House and made multiple appearances on Capitol Hill, sometimes carrying his young son.
Only six days before Thursday’s blowup, Trump and Musk held a joint appearance in the Oval Office, where Trump praised Musk’s government service and both men promised to continue working together.
Three months ago, Trump purchased a red Tesla from Musk as a public show of support for his business as it faced blowback.
ALSO READ | Tesla Shares Crash By Nearly 10% Amid War Of Words Between Elon Musk, Donald Trump
TRUMP-MUSK BRAWL GOES PUBLIC, WHAT NEXT?
A prolonged feud between Trump and Musk could make it more difficult for Republicans to keep control of Congress in next year’s midterm elections.
In addition to his campaign spending, Musk has a huge online following and helped connect Trump to parts of Silicon Valley and wealthy donors, a Reuters report states.
Musk had already said he planned to curtail his political spending in the future.
Soon after Trump’s Oval Office comments, Musk polled his 220 million followers on X: “Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?”
‘KILL THE BILL’
Musk targeted what Trump has named his “big, beautiful bill” this week, calling it a “disgusting abomination” that would deepen the federal deficit. His attacks amplified a rift within the Republican Party that could threaten the bill’s prospects in the Senate.
Reuters quoted Nonpartisan analysts as saying that Trump’s bill could add $2.4 trillion to $5 trillion to the nation’s $36.2 trillion in debt.
Trump asserted that Musk’s true objection was the bill’s elimination of consumer tax credits for electric vehicles. The President also suggested that Musk was upset because he missed working for the White House.
“He’s not the first,” Trump said on Thursday.
“People leave my administration… then at some point they miss it so badly, and some of them embrace it and some of them actually become hostile,” Trump said.
Musk wrote on X, “KILL the BILL,” adding he was fine with Trump’s planned cuts to electric vehicle credits as long as Republicans rid the bill of “a mountain of disgusting pork” or wasteful spending.
He also pulled up past quotes from Trump decrying the level of federal spending, adding, “Where is this guy today?”
Musk came into government with brash plans to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget. He left last week, having cut only about half of 1 per cent of total spending while causing disruption across multiple agencies.
Musk’s increasing focus on politics provoked widespread protests at Tesla sites in the US and Europe, driving down sales while investors fretted that Musk’s attention was too divided.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
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