Kristina Roberts
The once close alliance between Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump has dramatically unraveled, spilling into the public eye with sharp words and pointed accusations.
“Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore,” Trump said recently after Musk urged a halt to Trump’s massive tax and spending package, dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Musk had bluntly called on lawmakers to “kill the bill” less than a day before it passed the House of Representatives.
Trump didn’t hide his disappointment. “I’m very disappointed in Elon,” he told reporters.
The clash escalated quickly on social media. After Musk resigned from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) last week, he took to X (formerly Twitter) to blast the bill as “a disgusting abomination” packed with wasteful spending. “Shame on those who voted for it,” he wrote.
Trump fired back, claiming Musk was fully aware of the bill’s details and only turned against it once it became clear the electric vehicle mandate — a critical element for Musk’s Tesla — would be cut. “He knew everything about it. He never had a problem until after he left,” Trump said.
Musk responded sharply: “False. This bill was never shown to me once and was rushed through in the dead of night so fast that hardly anyone in Congress had time to read it.”
The drama unfolded as House Republicans stayed up late to pass Trump’s signature bill, a sweeping tax cut and spending package. Despite deep divisions, the bill squeaked through by a single vote, 215-214, amid heated debate and last-minute concessions.
The Congressional Budget Office warns the bill could add $2.4 trillion to the deficit over the next decade and leave nearly 11 million Americans without health insurance.
Tesla’s shares tumbled more than 8% shortly after the bill’s passage, as the removal of EV tax incentives hit the company hard.
Trump accused Musk of suffering from “Trump derangement syndrome,” suggesting his former ally is struggling after leaving the White House.
Musk fired back, accusing Trump of “ingratitude” and reminding him that Musk’s support was instrumental in his 2024 election win. “Without me, Trump would have lost, and Democrats would control the House,” Musk said, referencing the hundreds of millions he invested in the campaign.
In a series of pointed posts, Musk mocked Trump’s past conspiracy theories, including the bizarre claim that President Biden uses a body double. “Where is the man who wrote these words? Was he replaced by a body double?” Musk quipped.
Musk also rebranded Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” as “The Big Ugly Bill,” warning it would worsen the nation’s fiscal health.
Once allies united by ambition and brashness, Elon Musk and Donald Trump now find themselves locked in a bitter public battle — a falling out that, in hindsight, may have been inevitable.
