Details of the Trump-Musk Alliance Collapse
The political alliance between Donald Trump and Elon Musk crumbled on Thursday amid a fiery dispute during which the American president threatened to strip the billionaire of lucrative government contracts.
Trump expressed his dismay in statements broadcast from the Oval Office, saying, “I’m very disappointed,” after Musk criticized the spending bill put forth in Congress—a bill that Trump describes as “big and beautiful.”
The two men then exchanged insults on social media, with Musk going as far as to post allegations without evidence that Trump’s name appears in government documents regarding the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
This dispute could have significant political and economic repercussions, coinciding with a major decline in Tesla’s stock, which Musk owns, and Musk’s vows to halt the vital American space program.
Speculation had been rampant that the relationship between the world’s richest person and the American president would not last long, but the speed of its collapse surprised political circles in Washington.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, “I’m very disappointed. I helped Elon a lot.”
He added, “Elon and I had a wonderful relationship. I don’t know if it will remain that way.”
At 78, Trump lamented with a sad tone during his ten-minute speech that he had just hosted a farewell party for Musk a week prior after Musk concluded his role at the head of the government efficiency committee.
Later, Trump referred to Musk as “crazy,” confirming that he asked him to leave.
Thanklessness
Musk quickly responded through his platform, X, asserting that the Republican president would not win the 2024 election without his support, labeling Trump as “thankless.”
The exchange escalated as Musk claimed Trump’s name “is in the Epstein files,” referring to documents held by the U.S. government about the tycoon who committed suicide in his cell in 2019 while awaiting trial. Epstein’s case has fueled conspiracy theories.
Musk added, “Happy day, DJT,” referencing Trump’s full name, Donald John Trump.
Caroline Levitt, a White House spokesperson, told AFP that Musk’s post about Epstein was “an unfortunate chapter from Elon, who is upset about the ‘big and beautiful’ bill because it doesn’t include the policies he wants.”
Musk, who was the largest donor to Trump’s campaign with $300 million, stated in a separate post that the Republican candidate would not have won the 2024 election without his backing and accused him of being “thankless.”
Musk responded positively to a post suggesting Trump’s impeachment, sharply criticizing the global tariffs imposed by Trump, which he claimed could lead to a recession.
Trump hinted at delivering a blow to the “crazy” contractor, threatening to cancel Musk’s multi-billion-dollar government contracts, which include launching rockets into space and utilizing the Starlink satellite network.
Trump wrote on Truth Social: “The easiest way to save money in our budget, billions of dollars, is to cancel Elon’s contracts with the government and the support given to him.”
Musk replied again, asserting that he would start “withdrawing” the Dragon spacecraft from service, noting its crucial importance for transporting NASA astronauts to the International Space Station.
In a post, Musk stated: “In light of the president’s statement about canceling my government contracts, SpaceX will begin withdrawing the Dragon spacecraft from service immediately.”
However, he later appeared to backtrack in his response to a user on X, saying, “Okay, we won’t withdraw Dragon,” though his wording was unclear.
“Disgusting”
After hours of heated exchanges, Tesla, the electric car company owned by Musk, lost more than $100 billion in value.
The relationship between Trump and Musk had evolved significantly, with Trump supporting Musk’s work at the government efficiency agency in cutting federal spending. Musk sometimes spent his nights in the White House and traveled on Air Force One.
Yet, the 53-year-old Musk only held the position for four months, becoming frustrated with the slow pace of change and clashes with some officials in the Trump administration.
Tensions between the two over tax and spending proposals simmered until Musk described the core plan of Trump’s domestic policy as “disgusting” for potentially increasing the deficit.
Musk launched polls to determine if he should form a new political party, posing a significant threat from a man who said he was willing to use his wealth to oust Republican legislators who opposed his views.
Steve Bannon, a Trump ally and vocal opponent of Musk, called for the South African-born billionaire’s deportation, according to The New York Times.
