Donald Trump and Elon Musk have collided with each other
On June 3, when Musk labeled President Trump's proposed Big Beautiful Bill as financial mismanagement, the disagreement escalated to personal insults and threats within hours. In response, the president called Musk 'just went CRAZY' and announced that if necessary, billions of dollars in government contracts for Tesla, SpaceX, and Starlink would be terminated.
Beyond political bickering, the matter now looms as a heavy cloud hanging over the fate of the American budget. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has warned that this bill will create an additional $2.4 trillion deficit over the next decade and a health insurance crisis for at least 11 million people. Musk, who until a few weeks ago was the head of the White House's 'Department of Government Efficiency,' has mobilized his followers by calling it a 'receipt for national suicide.'
Trump's threat sent shockwaves through Wall Street. On June 5, Tesla shares fell by 14.3%, meaning nearly $150 billion in market value evaporated in moments, the worst one-day drop in the company's history.
Party politics has also shaken. Musk had reportedly spent about $275 million on Republican candidates in the last presidential election; now he is running Twitter polls to form an 'Eighty-Percent Party,' raising concerns about the division of the GOP's voter base. House Speaker Mike Johnson's mediation efforts have so far been unsuccessful, while Vice President J.D. Vance has labeled Musk as 'overly emotional' in defending the president.
The international scene is not lacking in interest either. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev humorously offered that Moscow is ready to facilitate a 'peace agreement' for this dispute, requiring only shares of Starlink as a 'fee.' Musk threw in a laughing emoji in response, but the Kremlin's sarcastic spectacle delivers a clear message: Washington's internal turmoil is an opportunity for Russia.
It could become diplomatic oxygen.
This fight is not just a 'Twitter cage match' between two arrogant personalities; it has become an existential question for America's economic priorities, national space infrastructure, and the internal dynamics of the Republican Party. If the president actually cancels SpaceX contracts, the next moon and Mars missions could be delayed, and America may once again be forced to look to Russia or possibly China for space transportation. Conversely, if Congress amends the bill to meet Musk's demands, the president's credibility in 'fiscal conservatism' will be undermined.
The computer stock market graphs are dancing up and down, but the real test is political gravity. This tug of power may be detrimental to both, but it could prove to be a seismic event for the U.S. space program and global capital markets. Washington must decide whether it wants to continue this spectacle of Trump versus Musk at the expense of future economy and trajectory.
