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Trump–Musk feud
2025 American political dispute From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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In June and July 2025, South African-born businessman and former presidential advisor Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump engaged in a series of social media attacks, primarily across X (formerly Twitter) and Truth Social, following Musk's exit from the second Trump administration with his criticisms of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a bill intended to be landmark legislation for Trump.[1]
Prior to being political allies in 2024, Musk and Trump shared a history of mutual provocation. In 2022, Musk described Trump as an unsuitable president due to his age in response to Trump calling him a "bullshit artist". At a rally in Michigan in July 2025, Trump escalated the feud by stating, "Maybe it's time he went back to where he came from".[2]
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Background
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Musk criticized Donald Trump prior to his first presidency in 2016[3] and the two feuded in 2022,[4][5][6] as well as subsequent years.[7] In 2024 there flourished what was described by The Independent as a "rapid and intense bromance between two of the world's most powerful men."[8] In February 2025, Musk publicly stated he loved Trump as "a straight man",[9] before feuding again with the president in June.[10][11]
2022 feud
In July 2022, Trump referred to Musk as a "bullshit artist" and called Musk's contract with Twitter "rotten".[12][13] Musk responded by describing Trump as being too old for the presidency, instead favoring Ron DeSantis for the 2024 presidential election.[7][14] Afterwards, Trump stated on Truth Social that Musk had come to the White House requesting help with subsidized projects and that had he been asked to beg, "he would have done it".[7][15] Trump also said on Truth Social that "Now Elon should focus on getting himself out of the Twitter mess because he could owe $44 billion for something that's perhaps worthless. Also, lots of competition for electric cars!".[7][15]
In 2022, after Trump's Twitter suspension was reversed, Musk told Isaacson about Trump that "he's disruptive. He's the world's champion of bullshit."[16] In 2024, New York Magazine described the feud over the past few years as "on-again, off-again".[7]2024 presidential election
Cash crunched by more than $50 million in legal fees, the Trump campaign met with Musk and other donors in March 2024; Musk said that he was "leaning away" from Biden. Trump declared having helped Musk in the past. Musk created the America Super PAC on May 22.[17] Musk publicly endorsed Trump after the July 13 Butler assassination attempt.[18] Musk hosted an X live stream on August 12 with Trump, in which he floated the idea of a "government efficiency commission".[19][20][21] Musk ended up contributing over US$290 million to Trump's presidential campaign.[22]
Second Trump administration
In the second Trump administration, Musk led the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in an effort to slash regulations, cut expenditures, and restructure federal agencies.[23] He served as a special government employee, limiting his tenure to 130 days.[24]
Musk played a prominent role in campaigning during the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election, spending at least US$23 million through political action committees. His role in the election was a political liability for Brad Schimel.[25] CBS News observed that Trump stopped posting about Musk by April, when he posted about six times a week before.[26]
Musk told investors in the April 22 Tesla earnings call that he would spend less time on DOGE going forward.[27] During an interview at the 2025 Qatar Economic Forum on May 20, Musk told that he would scale back political spending.[28]
Isaacman nomination
Trump celebrated Musk in an Oval Office farewell ceremony on May 30.[29][30] The New York Times reported that, immediately after reporters left, Trump confronted Musk over political donations made to Democrats by Jared Isaacman, a Musk ally who was Trump's nominee administrator of NASA. Trump informed Isaacman hours later that his nomination was being withdrawn.[31]
Isaacman told in an All-in episode that he believed Trump's retraction was more related to Musk's departure than his past donations, described himself as right-leaning, and supported Trump's agenda.[32] Multiple sources reported that Sergio Gor, White House personnel director, was behind the retraction.[33][34][35]
Musk on the Big Beautiful Bill
In a CBS interview on May 27, Musk criticized the "Big Beautiful Bill" passed by Congress on May 22.[36] Musk argued that it increased the deficit and undermined DOGE's work.[37] Musk began his offboarding the next day. During an Oval Office sendoff on May 30, Trump said that Musk was "not really leaving" the White House.[38]
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June 3
On June 3 at 3:32pm Eastern Time, Musk warned bill supporters: "In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people".[39] Three hours later, he called the "pork-filled" bill a "disgusting abomination". In the next two days, Musk continued, asking for a bill that does not increase the debt ceiling, saying that bankrupting America was not acceptable, and asking to "KILL the BILL".[38]
Republicans' endorsement of the bill did not seem to budge.[40]
June 5
Shortly before noon, Trump sat with German chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office and answered journalists' questions for more than 40 minutes on live TV.[41] When asked about Musk's criticism of the bill, Trump said that he was "disappointed" because he "always liked Elon", that Musk was critical because of the cuts to electric vehicle subsidies, and that he would have won Pennsylvania without him. While the interview went on, Musk fired back that Trump could keep his subsidies as long as the bill was "slim and beautiful". Trump also said Musk knew the bill "better than anybody" and that his Washington nostalgia may have turned to derangement; Musk responded that he was never shown the bill, that Trump would have lost the election if not for him, and ended with "such ingratitude".[42]
Later Musk re-shared 2012–13 posts he found hours earlier in which Trump and various Republicans were chastising Congress on deficits.[43]
America Party
Elon Musk @elonmuskIs it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?
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In a tweet posted at 1:57pm ET,[44] Musk floated the creation of a political party to represent the "eighty percent in the middle".[45] Half an hour later, Musk replied to Laura Loomer that "Trump has 3.5 years left as President", but that he will be around for more than 40 years.[43] With more than 80% of "yes" votes to his poll, Musk proposed at 6:07pm ET to name the new hypothetical party "The America Party".
Flurry of threats
Elon Musk @elonmuskTime to drop the really big bomb:
@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.
Have a nice day, DJT!
June 5, 2025[46]
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After the press conference, Trump turned to Truth Social to address the situation. He repeated that Musk went "CRAZY" about the "EV Mandate", which Musk immediately called a lie. Trump then threatened to cut Musk's government contracts.[47] In response, Musk said that Trump was in the Epstein files.[47] Musk then stated that SpaceX was decommissioning its Dragon 2 spacecraft. Crew Dragon is the only operational American crewed vehicle capable of docking with the International Space Station, while Cargo Dragon and Cygnus operate American cargo missions to the station. Musk deleted the post shortly after it attracted attention, and later declared that the spacecraft would not be decommissioned while responding to an X user who advised him to "cool off".[48] Two minutes later, Musk called for a third Trump impeachment.[49]
Tariffs and truce
Musk ended his barrage of tweets by reiterating that tariffs would cause a recession in the second half of 2025.
Later that evening, Musk responded to hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman's plea that the country was stronger when Musk and Trump were allies, saying he was not wrong. Politico reported that Musk and Trump were scheduled to be on a call to reconcile.[50]
Cutting ties
Musk unfollowed the Twitter accounts of Stephen Miller, Trump's deputy chief of staff for policy and his homeland security advisor;[51] he also unfollowed Charlie Kirk, a conservative influencer;[52] the two men appeared on Kirk's show to praise the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
June 6
Late in the night of June 5, Musk approved of a tweet stating that the two main parties have no political will to reduce the national debt.[43] Early on June 6, Trump told ABC News that Musk had "lost his mind" and that he was not interested in speaking to Musk,[1] and repeated in a CNN interview that he won't be speaking to him in the near future.[53] The White House later stated that no call between Trump and Musk was planned.[54] A White House official later said that Trump was considering selling the red Tesla Model S he received from Musk.[55]
According to Bloomberg News, Trump aides signaled that Trump was moving on and that he would not cancel Musk's government contracts.[56] The Washington Post reported that Trump tried to explain Musk's behavior by saying he was a "big-time drug addict".[57][58]
Dmitry Novikov told TASS that Russia could offer Musk political asylum, but that he would not need any.[59]
Musk reached out to the White House Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles and Vice-President JD Vance to announce a halt to his criticism of the President and to explore a possible mending of the relationship with the President.[60]
June 7
In a morning interview with NBC News on June 7, Trump stated that he did not wish to reconcile with Musk, and added that Musk would face 'very serious consequences' if he funded Democrats.[61] Trump also mentioned having saved Musk's life during his first administration.[62]
In an interview with Theo Von aired on June 7 but recorded on June 5,[63] JD Vance said that he will always stand by Trump's side, that Musk made a huge mistake, and that he wished Musk returned "into the fold".[64] Vance also conceded that the bill "wasn't perfect".[65]
By the morning, several tweets were deleted from Musk's account: the Epstein accusation, the call to impeachment, and the claim that Trump would not have won without his help.[66][67] Later on the same day, Musk reiterated one of his earlier threats that if this "insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day".[68]
Détente
On June 9, during ongoing protests in Los Angeles, Musk deleted his posts calling for Trump's impeachment and praised the Trump administration's actions towards the protesters. During a press conference the same day, Trump also shifted his stance on Musk saying, "We had a good relationship, I wish him well, very well".[69] Late in the evening, the President took a call from Musk, which led the following day to a public admission of regret.[70] The next day, it was further reported that Musk had a call with Trump, where he expressed remorse for attacking Trump.[71][72]
On June 11, Musk publicly stated via Twitter that he regretted some of his posts about Trump for having "went too far" and Trump showed appreciation for the apology.[73][74][75] A week later, Musk lashed out at Sergio Gor, an ally of the Trump family who led the Right for America super PAC, calling his identity into question, and calling him a "snake".[76] Musk later clarified that he was accusing Gor of having committed "a serious crime".[77] Senate Republicans hold Gor responsible for undermining the nomination of Isaacman at NASA.[78]
Reprisal
Musk renewed his attack on Trump's Big Beautiful Bill in late June.[79][80][81] On June 28, Musk wrote on Twitter "The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country," and that it would be "political suicide for the Republican Party".[82] On June 30, Trump threatened to use DOGE, an initiative that Musk once headed, to look into Musk’s business contracts with the government.[83] On July 1, Musk said he will donate to the reelection campaign of Rep. Thomas Massie, who was opposed to Trump's bill.[84] The same day, Trump stated he would "take a look" at the possibility of deporting Musk.[85]
In July, Trump reacted to Musk and the proposed America Party by describing Musk as "off the rails" on Truth Social,[86] while Musk criticized the Trump Administration response on the Jeffrey Epstein case.[87]
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Effects
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On June 5, Musk lost an estimated US$34 billion.[88] This is the second biggest loss in history, after Musk's 2021 loss.[89][90] Shares in Tesla, Inc. fell fifteen percent, its worst day since the COVID-19 pandemic.[91] Trading volumes for Tesla put options exceeded four million contracts, the highest on record.[92] TSLA short sellers ended their day raking US$4 billion.[93] Trump Media & Technology Group shares fell eight percent.[94]
The feud has risked US$100 million in political donations to Trump-affiliated organizations that Musk was set to give.[95] The dispute also threatened a US$5 billion debt sale for Musk's xAI.[96]
Immediately after the early June spat, Musk recorded his lowest net favorability in YouGov records, Musk's net favorability among Republicans dropping by 20 points.[97] Around nearly 40% of respondents to an early July poll by Quantus Insights indicated they would support Musk's third party.[98]
James Fishback, a Trump ally who floated the idea of a "DOGE dividend",[99] launched in July the Full Support for Donald PAC, a super PAC "designed to blunt Elon Musk's political ambitions".[100] Musk has threatened to bankroll any anti-Trump Congressional candidate, be they Republican, Democrat or third-party. A DOGE employee has tried to contact Fishback through a Veterans Affairs' account; the White House said that person no longer works there.[101]
According to Wall Street Journal sources, DOGE staffers who stayed within the administration were tested for loyalty.[102][103]
Reactions and comparisons
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Within the United States
The feud left Silicon Valley divided.[104] Musk's allies feared that other Silicon Valley figures who followed Musk into government could lose their positions, including David Sacks, Sriram Krishnan, and Michael Grimes.[105]
The dissolution of Musk and Trump's relationship was praised by some Make America Great Again followers.[106] A YouGov survey indicated that most Republicans support Trump in the feud, while most Democrats were neutral.[107] When asked to react to a statement from Musk on the GOP-backed spending bill, 56% said they agreed and 17% said they disagreed.[108]
On his podcast, Steve Bannon warned that Musk could be "flipped" by Democrats.[109] He encouraged Trump to cancel Musk's federal contracts and investigate his immigration status.[110] This has led to the possibility of Musk being deported from the United States.[111][112] After Bannon called for Trump to seize SpaceX with an executive order, Musk referred to him as a "communist retard".[113]
House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries referred to the feud as a "GOP civil war". The Democratic Party's Twitter account called to "KILL THE BILL AND RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!"[114] Democratic representatives Stephen Lynch and Robert Garcia sent a letter to attorney general Pam Bondi and Federal Bureau of Investigation director Kash Patel inquiring about Musk's allegation that Trump was present in government files on Epstein.[115]
Representative Ro Khanna argued that Democrats should court Musk.[116]
On social media, comparisons between the feud and that in Mean Girls (2004), as well as the Drake–Kendrick Lamar feud, were made.[117] Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer referenced "Bad Blood", a song by Taylor Swift believed to be about her feud with Katy Perry.[118]
Outside the United States
Trump's focus on Musk during his meeting with Friedrich Merz was met with relief from several German commentators, who noted caustic meetings with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and South African president Cyril Ramaphosa.[119]
In Russia, the government described the feud as an internal issue for the United States.[120] However, the feud was widely discussed among Russian political and business leaders. Dmitry Rogozin, a Russian ultranationalist politician, encouraged Musk to emigrate to Russia.[121]
Russian internet users compared the feud to the Wagner Group–Russian Ministry of Defence conflict, a dispute between Russia's Ministry of Defence and the oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin that led to the Wagner Group rebellion. Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of the Security Council, joked that he was willing to broker a truce between Musk and Trump.[122]
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See also
- UniTeam – a political alliance in the Philippines that turned into a feud between the Marcos and Duterte political families
- Sara Duterte – Philippine vice president who issued an assassination threat against her former UniTeam ally President Bongbong Marcos and faces an impeachment
References
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