The once-cordial relationship between Donald Trump and Elon Musk has taken a dramatic turn, with both billionaires engaging in a public spat. Here's a breakdown of their fight ¹ ² ³:
-The Fallout: Musk criticized Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" as a "disgusting abomination" filled with wasteful spending. Trump responded, expressing disappointment in Musk and threatening to terminate government contracts and subsidies for Musk's companies.
- Personal Attacks: Musk accused Trump of being mentioned in the Jeffrey Epstein files, a claim Trump hasn't directly addressed. Trump retaliated, saying Musk has "Trump derangement syndrome" and that he asked Musk to leave after he became "wearing thin".
- Business Impact: Tesla's stock plummeted over 14%, wiping out approximately $152 billion in market value and costing Musk $8.73 billion in personal wealth.
- Twitter Spat: The feud escalated on social media, with Musk responding to Trump's criticism with a series of posts, including a claim that Trump wouldn't have won the election without his support.
- Decommissioning Dragon Spacecraft: Musk announced plans to decommission SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft in response to Trump's threat, but later backtracked, saying "Good advice. Ok, we won't decommission Dragon".
Key Quotes
- Musk on Trump's Bill: "A bill can be big or it could be beautiful, but I don't know if it could be both."
- Trump on Musk: "Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave... and he just went CRAZY!"
- Musk on Trump's Tariffs: "The Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year."
Implications
- The feud could reshape Republican politics ahead of 2026 and beyond.
- The breakdown in their relationship may impact Tesla's business and Musk's influence over tech and space policy.
- The public spat highlights the deepening divisions within the GOP's big-money donor base ³.