What began as one of the most unlikely political alliances in modern U.S. history unraveled into a full-blown, very public grudge match on Thursday, as President Donald Trump threatened to sever Elon Musk’s federal contracts.
Once the president’s loudest tech-world ally, Musk is now in Trump’s crosshairs, accused of betrayal and political defiance. The rift boiled over in real time across competing social media platforms after Trump, in an Oval Office exchange with Germany’s chancellor, expressed regret over the falling-out and declared he was “very disappointed in Musk.”
It was the first official shot in what quickly became a daylong digital firefight.
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“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”
READ ALSO: Senate Republicans divide over Trump’s spending bill as Elon Musk amplifies criticism
Musk, unfazed, fired back from X: “This just gets better and better. Go ahead, make my day.”
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The spat marks an extraordinary collapse in relations between the U.S. president and the world’s richest man. Just days ago, the pair were photographed together at the White House as Trump thanked Musk for his brief but turbulent service in government. But tension had been building as Musk criticized Trump’s tax and spending priorities, including what he called the “disgusting abomination” of Trump’s flagship economic package, the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill.”
“He hasn’t said bad about me personally, but I’m sure that will be next,” Trump said. “But I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot.”
The damage was swift. Shares of Tesla plummeted 9% after the president’s remarks, adding financial fallout to political drama. Musk, who has since resumed his role as a constant presence on X, delivered a particularly sharp jab that seemed engineered to provoke.
“Without me, Trump would have lost the election,” he wrote. “Such ingratitude.”
Their once-booming partnership, sealed with billion-dollar federal contracts and showy public support, was as fast-burning as it was spectacular. Musk had donated at least $250 million to Trump’s reelection effort and become a fixture at his rallies, even standing beside him during the oath of office and attending Mar-a-Lago weekends.
“I’ll be honest, I think he missed the place,” Trump quipped Thursday. “He got out there, and all of a sudden he wasn’t in this beautiful Oval Office.”
Musk’s formal exit from government came quietly last week, at a press briefing where he appeared bruised, literally and figuratively.
President Donald Trump, characteristically quick with an aside, mentioned the black eye.
“I said, ‘Do you want a little makeup? We’ll get you a little makeup.’ Which is interesting,” Trump said.
READ ALSO: Trump bids farewell to Elon Musk with tribute video as his DOGE era ends
But their growing friction had already been playing out online. Musk criticized the rushed passage of Trump’s bill and claimed he never saw the legislation beforehand.
“False,” Musk posted. “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!”
He later wrote: “Ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill.”
The bill, though heavy on tax cuts and spending reductions, has been flagged by the Congressional Budget Office for ballooning the deficit by $2.4 trillion and leaving nearly 11 million Americans without health insurance, according to an AP report.
One final spark, Musk’s push for Jared Isaacman to head NASA. Trump abruptly rescinded the nomination over the weekend.
“I didn’t think it was appropriate,” Trump said. “Totally a Democrat.”
Elon Musk, now back to his old habits, responded with vintage trolling. He resurfaced a decade-old Trump tweet criticizing GOP spending and added: “Where is the man who wrote these words? Was he replaced by a body double!?”
READ ALSO: ‘Disappointed’ Elon Musk criticizes Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” for ballooning deficit
