The rift was triggered by Musk’s criticism of Trump's sweeping legislative proposal, dubbed the "One Big Beautiful Bill," which includes aggressive tax cuts and increased government spending.
Musk further alleged that President Donald Trump is named in the sealed Jeffrey Epstein files, suggesting that this is the "real reason" those documents have never been fully made public.
Here's a 10-point cheatsheet on the Trump-Musk feud
- Musk, a former adviser to Trump, slammed the bill for potentially worsening the United States’ $36.2 trillion national debt. Trump initially refrained from responding but tensions grew over the week.
- At a press conference alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump expressed his frustration, stating, “I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot.” He claimed Musk’s backlash was due to the removal of the electric vehicle tax credit from the bill and questioned the future of their relationship.
- In response, Musk fired back on social media: “False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!”
- The feud intensified when Trump posted on Truth Social, saying, “The easiest way to save billions in our Budget is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” adding, “I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”
- Soon after, Musk announced that SpaceX would begin decommissioning the Dragon spacecraft. “In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately,” he posted.
- Musk also made explosive allegations against Trump, claiming that the former president’s name appears in the sealed Jeffrey Epstein files, which, according to Musk, is “the real reason” the documents have never been released.
- He further endorsed a user’s post on X calling for Trump’s impeachment and suggested JD Vance as his replacement, simply replying: “Yes.”
- Trump, in turn, claimed Musk was well aware of the contents of the bill and alleged his opposition stemmed from personal interest. Musk denied this, responding, “Without me, Trump would have lost the election,” and accused him of ingratitude. He also argued that without his support, Democrats would have controlled the House and Republicans would have barely held the Senate.
- Trump defended his legislative package in another Truth Social post, calling it “one of the greatest bills ever presented to Congress.” He described it as a record $1.6 trillion cut in federal spending and the largest tax reduction ever. “If this bill doesn’t pass, there will be a 68% tax increase,” Trump wrote. “I didn’t create this mess, I’m just here to FIX IT. This puts our country on a path of greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
- What started as a disagreement over policy has now devolved into a high-stakes political and personal clash—one that could have major implications for the Republican Party, the 2024 election landscape, and the business interests tied to both figures.
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