President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, once close political allies, are now entangled in an increasingly dramatic public feud conducted largely through their respective social media accounts. A relationship that until recently positioned Musk as one of Trump’s closest advisors and supporters has abruptly soured, escalating into personal attacks, policy disagreements, and even threats of business reprisals.
The root of their conflict lies in the president’s legislative centerpiece, dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a sprawling, 1,038-page legislative package approved by the House of Representatives on May 22. The bill has now moved on to the Senate and includes wide-reaching tax reforms and significant cuts to federal healthcare and social programs. The Congressional Budget Office estimates this legislation will slash taxes by approximately $3.7 trillion yet projects an increase of about $2.4 trillion to the national debt over ten years. Additionally, the debt ceiling would rise by around $4 trillion—conditions troubling even some Republicans, notably Senators Rand Paul and Ron Johnson, who have publicly opposed the scale of spending included.
Musk, previously a prominent figure at both the White House and Mar-a-Lago, initially voiced restrained dissatisfaction after Trump rescinded his nomination of Jared Isaacman, Musk’s preferred candidate to head NASA. Tensions erupted publicly earlier this week when Musk took to his social network, X, to vehemently criticize the bill. He labeled the legislation “a disgusting abomination,” accusing lawmakers of passing a “massive, outrageous, pork-filled” act rife with irresponsible spending.
Trump responded tersely when questioned by the press about Musk’s opposition. He claimed Musk’s disapproval arose solely because the bill would eliminate government mandates beneficial to Tesla and other electric vehicle makers, costing Musk’s companies potentially billions of dollars in incentives.
In reaction, Musk unleashed a cascade of critical social media updates, asserting his pivotal role in the outcome of the recent election. “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Democrats would control the House, and Republicans would hold the Senate with a slim 51-49 margin,” Musk declared pointedly.
The sparring continued to escalate dramatically. Trump fired back on Truth Social, suggesting Musk had become unstable over losing the lucrative electric vehicle mandates. Trump further floated the idea of ending governmental contracts and subsidies benefitting Musk’s ventures, noting it as an easy target for budgetary savings. Prompting immediate reaction, Musk threatened in return to withdraw SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft from service, hinting at serious disruptions in America’s space capabilities.
In perhaps the most explosive measure yet, Musk accused Trump of involvement with the infamous Jeffrey Epstein scandal—a significant and as yet unanswered public allegation launched against the sitting president. Musk also claimed that Trump’s trade tariffs would trigger a recession by year’s end and openly supported calls for Trump’s impeachment.
This contentious breakup between Trump and Musk, giants in politics and business respectively, signals wider implications for the business and technology sectors, particularly considering the high-profile involvement of other technology leaders. Notably, executives such as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Google’s Sundar Pichai, all previously supportive via contributions to Trump’s inaugural celebrations, could now find themselves directly impacted by Trump’s protectionist trade policies.
As the dispute grows more personal and heated—with both figures trading jabs across digital platforms—onlookers speculate about the broader political and economic fallout. While the feud prompts memes and social media commentary depicting personal spats, its real-world implications for American business, economy, healthcare, and governance could resonate far beyond these initial skirmishes.
