The relationship between former allies Donald Trump and Elon Musk unravelled spectacularly on Thursday, playing out hour by hour across social media and the White House. What began as subtle criticism quickly spiralled into a full-blown public feud, with barbed comments and sharp accusations flying back and forth.
“We had a great relationship…” – Trump
Speaking to reporters from the Oval Office, Trump acknowledged the rift:
“Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore. I was surprised.”
His comments came in response to Musk’s earlier attack on Trump’s flagship tax and spending legislation, which the Tesla CEO had slammed as a “disgusting abomination.”
Musk strikes back – 12:19 p.m.
On X (formerly Twitter), Musk doubled down on his criticism of the bill:
“Ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill… Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill. Slim and beautiful is the way.”
Trump digs deeper – still in the Oval Office
The former president expressed personal disappointment:
“I’m very disappointed, because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here… All of a sudden, he had a problem.”
Musk denies insider knowledge – 12:25 p.m.
Musk quickly refuted Trump’s claim, tweeting:
“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!”
“Such ingratitude” – Musk, 12:46 p.m.
Less than 30 minutes later, Musk added another layer to the drama:
“Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House, and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate. Such ingratitude.”
Talk of a new party – 1:57 p.m.
Musk escalated his political stance, pinning this statement to the top of his X profile:
“Is it time to create a new political party in America that represents the 80% in the middle?”
Trump threatens Musk’s contracts – 2:37 p.m.
On Truth Social, Trump responded with a direct financial threat:
“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!”
U.S. media have estimated Musk’s federal contracts are worth around $18 billion.
Musk references Epstein files – 3:10 p.m.
In a shocking escalation, Musk alluded to conspiracy theories surrounding Jeffrey Epstein:
“Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!”
Trump stands firm – 4:06 p.m.
Trump appeared to respond with defiance:
“I don’t mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress.”
SpaceX response – 4:09 p.m.
Musk replied almost instantly, hinting at action in response to Trump’s threat:
“In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.”
The Crew Dragon spacecraft is a critical component of NASA’s manned space missions, currently operating under a contract valued at over $4.9 billion.
A partial walk-back – later that evening
Musk later replied to a user on X, softening his earlier stance:
“OK, we won’t decommission Dragon,” he wrote, though it remained unclear whether he was being serious or sarcastic.
What began as a disagreement over policy has now spiralled into a dramatic and very public unravelling of a high-profile alliance, leaving political observers stunned and wondering what’s next.
