The tech-politics bromance is officially over.
President Trump is cutting ties with Elon Musk — starting with his bright red Tesla Model S. Just months ago, back in March, he got the car as a public show of support for Musk. Now? That Tesla’s out the door — and so is the friendship.
What started as a powerful alliance between two of the world’s loudest figures has crashed and burned. Insults have been exchanged, threats are in the air, and both sides have billions on the line. Trump isn’t planning to call Musk, insiders say — and Musk isn’t exactly rushing to make peace either, though he’s definitely playing it safer behind the scenes.
Just this Thursday, Musk quietly backed off a bold threat to end SpaceX’s Dragon missions — the very spacecraft NASA depends on to send astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station. That move came right after billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman publicly urged both men to bury the hatchet “for the good of our great country.” Musk, ever cryptic, replied: “You’re not wrong.”
But the financial stakes are no joke. Musk’s companies — SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink and others — have earned billions in government contracts, and many more are in the pipeline. If Trump follows through on his threat to cut off federal deals, Musk could be staring at massive losses.
On the flip side, Trump’s got something to lose too. Musk reportedly contributed $275 million to help elect him in 2024, with another $100 million pledged for pro-Trump causes ahead of the 2026 midterms. That second round of cash? Now hanging by a thread — and likely never arriving.
So what do we have now?
A president publicly ditching his Tesla.
A billionaire softening his tone to save NASA deals.
And a friendship-turned-rivalry that could cost both men billions of dollars and serious political power.
The bromance is dead — and the price tag is sky-high.
