Trump and Musk's Feud: From Friendship to Twitter War. The unlikely friendship between former President Donald Trump and Elon Musk spectacularly imploded last week, with a public social media spat between the world's richest and most powerful men. However, Musk later expressed regret, prompting a positive response from Trump
Oval Office Photo: Trump and Musk's May 30, 2025 News Conference. See the image of President Trump and Elon Musk together in the White House Oval Office during a May 30, 2025 press conference. This photo captures a moment before their public feud. #Trump #Musk #WhiteHouse #OvalOffice #NewsConference #Politics
Elon Musk vs. Trump: "Wise Words" Repost Ignites Feud. On June 5th, Musk directly attacked Trump, reposting a 2013 Trump tweet criticizing debt ceiling extensions. This followed days of Musk criticizing Trump's signature bill and came after Trump's Wednesday statement advocating the debt limit's complete removal. The clash highlights the fractured relationship between the two high-profile figures
Trump Responds to Musk's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" Criticism: Friendship Fracture? Following Elon Musk's public criticism of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," President Trump fired back during an Oval Office press conference. Trump insinuated Musk's opposition stems from the bill's removal of the electric vehicle tax credit, questioning their friendship and alleging Musk's prior knowledge of the bill's details. The comments followed Musk's social media attacks and marked a dramatic escalation in the fallout between the two
Trump accuses Elon Musk of suffering from "Trump Derangement Syndrome," claiming this occurs when former administration officials criticize the president, following a public feud between the two over Musk's opposition to Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Elon Musk denies seeing Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" before its passage, tweeting that it was rushed through Congress without his input and that claims he opposed it due to the removal of EV tax credits are false
Elon Musk claims his $250 million+ donation to Trump's campaign was crucial to his 2020 victory, alleging "ingratitude" after Trump's subsequent actions. Musk's tweet at 12:46 PM asserted that without his support, Trump would have lost the election, Democrats would control the House, and Republicans would have a narrower Senate majority
Trump calls for ending Elon Musk's government subsidies and contracts, expressing surprise Biden hasn't already done so. This follows a public feud between the two, sparked by Musk's criticism of Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Trump-Musk Feud Explodes: At 2:37 PM, Trump ejected Musk from the White House after the EV tax credit removal sparked a furious outburst. The incident marked a dramatic escalation in their public spat, following Musk's criticism of Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Elon Musk calls Trump's claim of his dismissal a "sad" and "obvious lie," citing upset over the removal of the EV tax credit from the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act." The Tesla CEO's public rebuke followed a heated exchange on social media, highlighting the fractured friendship between Musk and the former president
Elon Musk accuses Trump of being implicated in unreleased "Epstein files," claiming the White House is withholding them. This unsubstantiated allegation, posted on X at 3:10 PM, follows a public feud between Musk and Trump, escalating their recent social media dispute. The FBI's investigation into Jeffrey Epstein is at the center of the controversy
Elon Musk announced at 4:09 PM the decommissioning of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, previously used by NASA for astronaut transport to the International Space Station
Elon Musk publicly endorsed a call for Donald Trump's impeachment, responding "Yes" to a user suggesting Trump's replacement by JD Vance. This marked a dramatic escalation in the feud between Musk and Trump, following days of online sparring over Trump's policy initiatives. The exchange highlights the fractured relationship between the two high-profile figures
Elon Musk predicts Trump's tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of 2025, a stark contrast to his previous muted criticism of the trade policy. This shift follows a public feud between the two prominent figures
Trump downplays feud with Musk: Late-night report reveals the former president told Politico "oh it's okay," as White House officials worked to mend fences and arrange a call between the two
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 deleted his tweet suggesting Trump was in the Epstein files and removed his other post endorsing the impeachment of the president—though a quote tweet expressing skepticism about Trump and Epstein’s alleged links was still up as of Saturday morning, as well as Musk’s tweet claiming Trump would have lost the election without him.
Musk reposted Trump and Vance’s criticism of protesters in Los Angeles, including a Trump Truth Social post blasting California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for opposing the deployment of National Guard troops to the protest scene.
“I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week,” Musk wrote on X. “They went too far.”
Trump told the New York Post, “I thought it was very nice that he did that,” referring to Musk’s comments without explicitly saying if he accepted the billionaire’s apology.
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 last 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 last 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 last 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% last Thursday 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). Tesla’s stock fully rebounded over the next few trading sessions, reaching the $330 mark as Musk’s net worth rose to $413 billion. Trump Media & Technology Group’s stock closed down 8% at $20.12 the day of Trump and Musk’s clash, though its share price did not recover to the same extent Tesla’s did. Multiple cryptocurrencies also slumped amid the spat, with ethereum falling 7%, Solana dropping 6% and the Musk-backed dogecoin sliding 9% last Thursday. Bitcoin prices did not fall as sharply as its competitors’ prices, but still sunk by 3% on Thursday.
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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