Trump and Musk's explosive social media feud: The unlikely friendship between the former president and the Tesla CEO imploded Thursday, with a public spat on Twitter and X, just months after Musk's White House sleepovers. The fallout follows Musk's criticism of Trump's debt ceiling bill, sparking accusations of betrayal and "Trump derangement syndrome
Donald Trump and Elon Musk: Oval Office Meeting Amidst Public Feud. A May 30, 2025 photo shows President Trump and Elon Musk during a White House press conference. Their once close friendship dramatically soured, culminating in a public social media spat. The image captures a pivotal moment before their explosive fallout
Elon Musk vs. Trump: Public Feud Erupts Over Debt Ceiling Bill. On June 5th, Musk publicly criticized Trump's debt ceiling bill, reposting a 2013 Trump tweet expressing embarrassment over a similar Republican measure. This marked Musk's first direct attack on Trump following days of online criticism. The spat escalated with Trump's counter-accusations during a press conference
Trump Responds to Musk's Criticism of "One Big Beautiful Bill Act": Oval Office Press Conference Reveals Rift. During a midday press conference, President Trump accused Elon Musk of opposing his signature bill due to the removal of electric vehicle tax credits, questioning their friendship and alleging Musk's prior knowledge of the bill's details. The Tesla CEO's criticism ignited a public feud between the two, escalating from social media to the White House
Trump also suggested Musk is suffering from what he refers to as “Trump derangement syndrome,” which Trump claims happens when people leave the administration and turn on the president.
Musk said he didn’t turn on the bill after the EV tax credit was removed: “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!” Musk tweeted.
Musk said “without me,” Trump would have lost the election, Democrats would control the House, and Republicans would have a more narrow majority in the Senate, after Musk donated more than $250 million toward Trump’s campaign, accusing Trump in a subsequent tweet of “such ingratitude.”
“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” Trump wrote, adding, “I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”
Trump said Musk was “wearing thin” at the White House and he “asked him to leave,” then he “just went CRAZY!” when the EV tax credit was removed from the bill.
Musk said it’s “such an obvious lie” and “so sad” Trump asked him to leave and that he was upset over the EV tax credit.
Musk alleged on X, without evidence, the reason the White House has yet to fully release the “Epstein files” detailing the FBI’s investigation into the late, disgraced former financier Jeffrey Epstein is because Trump is implicated in them.
Musk said he would decommission SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft used by NASA to transport astronauts to the International Space Station.
Musk endorsed one user’s suggestion that Trump be impeached, writing “Yes” in response to an X user who wrote “President vs. Elon. Who wins? My money’s on Elon. . . Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should replace him.”
Musk said Trump’s tariffs will trigger a recession in the second half of the year, after remaining mostly reserved in his previous criticism of the tariffs.
Trump downplayed his public falling out with Musk to Politico, telling the outlet “oh it’s okay,” as White House officials were reportedly working to de-escalate the situation and set up a call between Musk and Trump.
Musk appeared to backtrack on his earlier threat to decommission the SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft after a follower urged him not to do so, prompting the billionaire to respond “Good advice. Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon.”
Musk signaled he is willing to de-escalate his fight with Trump after hedge-fund billionaire Bill Ackman—who is both a Trump supporter and a Musk ally—tweeted that both of them “should make peace for the benefit of our great country…We are much stronger together than apart.” Musk replied: “You’re not wrong.”
The billionaire later reposted a follower who said “Republicans will likely lose the House in 2026.”
Despite signals of a truce, Musk continued to attack the president’s allies, such as Steve Bannon, and Trump’s signature spending bill.
The price of Tesla’s shares, which plummeted 14% on Thursday amid the clash, is up around 4.4% in premarket trading on Friday morning, after Musk signaled he is open to a truce with Trump.
Trump told ABC News in a Friday morning interview he was “not particularly” interested in talking to Musk right now, alleging Musk has “lost his mind.”
Trump is “thinking about” selling the Tesla Model S he bought in March, when he showcased the purchase to the media on the White House driveway in a public show of support for Musk, a senior White House official told Forbes, though The New York Times, also citing an unnamed White House source, reported the car is already for sale.
Otherwise, the Musk-Trump feud appeared to simmer in public as of Friday afternoon, with some speculation they could mend fences in a matter of days.
Musk said repeatedly last year he supports eliminating the EV tax credit—diluting Trump’s argument he only opposes the bill because it gets rid of the incentive. “I think we should get rid of all credits,” Musk said in December when asked by a reporter on Capitol Hill if he supports getting rid of the electric vehicle tax credit, Politico reported. The House-passed version of the bill would phase out the $7,500 tax credit for some EV buyers by 2026.
$2.4 trillion. That’s how much the bill would add to the federal debt over the next decade, according to an estimate by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released Wednesday that estimates it would cost $4.2 trillion, mostly from tax cuts, and save $1.8 trillion.
“I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot,” Trump said while sitting next to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office on Thursday.
Musk—who left his White House role last week—has fired off dozens of tweets this week attacking Trump’s policy bill over the amount it’s expected to add to the federal debt. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore,” Musk wrote Tuesday on X in his initial post bashing the legislation, calling it a “massive, outrageous, pork-filled . . . disgusting abomination.” Musk attacked Trump directly over the bill for the first time since he began his days-long rant moments before Trump sat down with Merz by reposting the president’s 2013 tweet about the debt ceiling. In other tweets this week targeting the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Musk threatened Republicans who voted for it, warning that “in November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people” and calling for lawmakers to “KILL The BILL.” Until Trump’s comments Thursday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.—who shepherded the bill through the House—was the top Republican defending the legislation against Musk’s criticism. Johnson said Wednesday Trump is “not delighted that Elon did a 180.”
The bill, passed by the House in a party-line vote last month after last-minute revisions to appease Republican holdouts, is being negotiated by the Senate. Republican leaders have set a July 4 deadline to put the bill on Trump’s desk for signage, but GOP resistance in the upper chamber—and some expressions of regret from a few House Republicans who said they were unaware of certain provisions—threaten to delay its passage. The legislation would fulfill Trump’s key campaign promises, including an extension of his 2017 tax cuts, no taxes on tips and overtime and additional border security, paid for, in part, by cuts to Medicaid.
Tesla shares dropped 14% as Musk clashed with Trump, closing at $284.70 and completely erasing a month’s worth of gains it made in May. The fall marked the 11th-worst single trading day for the electric vehicle maker since it went public in 2010, according to FactSet. Musk, who owns about 12% of Tesla excluding options, saw his estimated net worth tumble by $27 billion to $388 billion (he still remains the world’s wealthiest person by far). Trump Media & Technology Group’s stock closed down 8% at $20.12, bringing shares to their lowest point since April 16. Multiple cryptocurrencies also slumped amid the spat, with ethereum falling 7%, Solana dropping 6% and the Musk-backed dogecoin sliding 9%. Bitcoin prices did not fall as sharply as its competitors’ prices, but still sunk by 3% by Thursday evening.
Tensions between Musk and Trump were palpable during the joint press conference they held May 30 to mark Musk’s last day leading the Department of Government Efficiency. While the two praised each other, their once-lighthearted rapport appeared stiff and uneasy. Musk in particular appeared to be in an odd mood, prompting social media users to claim he was “tweaking out,” suggesting he may have been under the influence of drugs, as the press conference was held hours after a New York Times report alleging Musk engaged in heavy drug use while he campaigned for Trump last year. Musk also sported a black eye during the press conference, which the Tesla CEO claimed he got from his five-year-old son.
‘KILL The BILL’: Musk Deepens Rant Against Trump’s Signature Policy Legislation (Forbes)
Musk Calls For Ending Electric Vehicle Tax Credit—Which Could Help Tesla (Forbes)
Musk Cuts Off Reporter Asking About Drug Use Allegations—Including Ketamine, Ecstasy And Adderall (Forbes)
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