One week ago, Elon Musk was standing in the Oval Office, receiving a large gold key from President Donald Trump.
It was Mr. Musk’s last day as a “special government employee,” and he was being lauded for his work aimed at slashing “waste, fraud, and abuse” as head of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Six days later, the two men – the richest person in the world and the leader of the free world – were at each other’s throats on social media, hurling insults and threats in perhaps the most extraordinary political breakup in modern American history.
Why We Wrote This
The falling-out between two alpha males made for astonishing social-media theater, but didn’t come as a surprise. From tariffs to the national debt, differences between the erstwhile allies were hardly hidden.
The end of the bromance was not unexpected. The two men are similar in key ways – both mercurial, both alpha males, both larger than life. Ultimately, there are no “adults in the room” who can take them away from their devices and from posting, unfiltered, directly to the world.
In political circles, including major capitals across the globe dealing with the Trump administration, it was riveting theater. For Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk, the attention is the point: They’re both showmen, seeking the spotlight, each for his own ends.
Heading into Thursday, the signs of profound policy differences were hardly hidden. Mr. Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur who had helped fuel President Trump’s political comeback with funds and public appearances, has made clear he does not like tariffs, which boost the cost of manufacturing his Tesla electric vehicles.
Mr. Musk has also long expressed concerns about the massive federal debt – and was unhappy with the deficit spending embedded in the president’s signature “big, beautiful bill.” The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the legislation, now in the Senate after barely passing the House, would add $2.4 trillion over 10 years to the existing $36 trillion federal debt.
By Tuesday, four days after the Oval Office lovefest, Mr. Musk had had enough.
“I’m sorry, I just can’t stand it anymore,” he wrote on X, the social media platform he owns. “This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination.”
He threatened to take down members of Congress who vote for the bill by funding their opponents in next year’s midterm elections.
By Thursday, both men were swinging away. Mr. Musk endorsed a social media post calling for Mr. Trump’s impeachment. He also suggested, without evidence, that the president’s name was in classified government documents about Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted child sex offender.
Mr. Trump, for his part, took to his own social media site, Truth Social, with threats to cancel Mr. Musk’s considerable government contracts, including with his firms SpaceX and Starlink.
“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” Mr. Trump posted Thursday on Truth Social.
Mr. Trump has also signaled plans to sell his red Tesla. In March, the president was hawking Tesla electric vehicles on the South Lawn in a makeshift showroom to help his friend. Tesla has taken a big hit to its sales and stock price since December, as Musk opponents have shied away from the brand and Tesla cars and dealerships have suffered sabotage.
Reports late Thursday that a Musk-Trump détente was in the works were just as unsurprising as the explosion earlier in the day. By Friday morning, Mr. Trump was basking in positive jobs numbers and reports that billions had come into the Treasury from tariffs. Republican lawmakers had rallied to the president’s side at a crucial time for his legislation.
At press time, Mr. Trump reportedly had no intention to speak with Mr. Musk, despite a report in Politico that a call was planned. Various allies are trying to play peacemaker, including billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman.
Because for both Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk, the feud carries risks. The president is juggling major domestic and global challenges, including wars in Ukraine and Gaza and nuclear negotiations with Iran, and the public battle with his erstwhile ally has been an embarrassing distraction. Mr. Trump and the Republicans also risk losing the considerable funding the tech billionaire had promised for the midterms.
For Mr. Musk, the fight poses a threat to his business interests, which are entwined in U.S. national security – particularly Starlink and SpaceX.
Where this clash of titans is going remains unpredictable. But it’s safe to say, the story is far from over.
