Once upon a time --
Elon Musk himself posted a picture with the President-elect under the Latin phrase, "Novus Ordo Seclorum" — a new order of the ages.
However, all that is over !!
The deterioration of their once close relationship into bitter acrimony came over the course of several remarkable hours during which Donald Trump, the US President and the world’s richest person Elon Musk hurled deeply personal insults over matters significant and insignificant.
Trump slams Musk, says he’s disappointed, hints at cutting federal contracts
Musk fires back, calls Trump’s spending bill disgusting, hints at impeachment
Tesla stock crashes $150B as Musk threatens to cut SpaceX ties with Nasa
It officially began with a presidential shoutout, a public anointing of a tech mogul into the powerful Washington circle of power and politics. Less than six months ago, during his inaugural address on January 20, 2025, the newly sworn-in 47th President of the United States, Donald J Trump, hailed Elon Musk as a "super genius" and a “star.”
The billionaire, fresh off a $100 million spending spree to return Trump to the White House, was not just an ally; he was, in Trump’s world, family. He had been there at Mar-a-Lago on election night, his young son X on his shoulders, posing with the triumphant Trump clan for a photo Kai Trump captioned, "The whole squad."
The direct shots at Trump were the latest twist in the public showdown over a Republican spending bill that Musk had criticized. Trump and Musk had been careful not to hit each other directly, but on Thursday the pair discarded restraint as the feud escalated on their respective social media platforms.
Once upon a time the honeymoon was a televised spectacle. In a joint interview on Fox News in February 2025, the camaraderie was so thick the interviewer called them "two brothers."
Musk, ever the showman, wore a T-shirt that read "Tech Support." It just took a few months.
The US president threatened to cancel federal contracts and tax subsidies for Musk’s companies, in an extraordinary social media feud that erupted between the former allies on Thursday.
In return Elon Musk called for Donald Trump’s impeachment and mocked his connections to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Musk quote-tweeted a post calling for Trump to be removed.
“Time to drop the really big bomb: Donald Trump is in the Epstein files.
That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!”
Musk wrote, after Trump threatened to cut subsidies for Musk’s companies as it would save “billions”.
“You saw a man who was very happy when he stood behind the Oval desk. Even with a black eye. I said, do you want a little makeup? He said, no, I don’t think so. Which is interesting,” Trump said. “Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will any more.”
Trump then ratcheted up his barbs against Musk, accusing him of turning against the bill solely out of self-interest, as the bill did not benefit Tesla, Musk’s electronic vehicle company. Trump also pulled the nomination of Musk’s preferred candidate to lead Nasa.
“I’m very disappointed with Elon,” Trump said. “He had no problem with it. All of a sudden he had a problem, and he only developed the problem when he found out we’re going to cut the EV mandate.”
Musk then went on the warpath. Within minutes of Trump’s comments appearing in a clip on X, where Musk was responding in real time, Musk accused the president of lying about the bill, and accused Trump of being ungrateful for the millions he spent to get him elected.
“Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” Musk said in a post on X. He added: “Such ingratitude.”
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