The fragile alliance between U.S. President Donald Trump and tech mogul Elon Musk has erupted into open conflict, with both billionaires trading sharp public insults following Musk’s scathing criticism of Trump’s key domestic policy—the controversial tax and spending bill.
The public fallout played out across their respective social media platforms, marking a dramatic turn in what was once a powerful political partnership.
The row began on Thursday when Trump expressed his “disappointment” over Musk’s opposition to the bill, hinting it could spell the end of their “great relationship.” Musk, in turn, accused Trump of “ingratitude,” claiming credit for the president’s political survival: “Without me, Trump would have lost the election.”
Despite the heated exchange, both parties later signalled an interest in reconciliation. Trump told Politico the situation was “going very well,” while Musk responded positively to calls for the pair to make peace.
The fallout stems from Musk’s weeks-long campaign against Trump’s so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which was passed by the House last month and awaits Senate approval. Shortly after resigning from his brief tenure at the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), Musk publicly slammed the bill, calling it a “disgusting abomination” and urging Americans to lobby against it.
Trump, speaking at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, defended the bill and questioned Musk’s motives, suggesting Tesla’s interests in electric vehicle subsidies may be at play. Musk flatly denied this, insisting his objection was to “wasteful pork” in the bill and not to the removal of green energy incentives.
The tech billionaire also posted a string of provocative messages on his platform X, including a poll about forming a new political party, criticism of Trump’s tariff strategy, and even unsubstantiated claims linking Trump to Jeffrey Epstein—a move that drew condemnation from the White House.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed Musk’s claims as “an unfortunate episode” stemming from dissatisfaction with the bill. Trump, meanwhile, lashed out on Truth Social, accusing Musk of having “just went CRAZY” and threatening to cut off billions in government subsidies and contracts to Musk’s companies.
In response, Musk briefly threatened to decommission SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft used for ISS missions, before retracting the comment under pressure from users on X.
The feud rattled markets, with Tesla stock plummeting 14% within hours of the public clash.
The bill at the centre of the controversy is projected by the Congressional Budget Office to add $2.4 trillion to the national debt over the next decade and leave nearly 11 million Americans without government-backed health coverage. The White House disputes those figures, citing expected revenue from new tariffs.
Musk’s short tenure at Doge was marked by sweeping cuts to federal agencies—including the shutdown of USAID—and a claimed $180 billion in savings, though far below his $2 trillion target.
With tensions at an all-time high and political fallout mounting, it remains to be seen whether the Trump–Musk saga will end in reconciliation or further division.