US President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s bromance turned into an all-out brawl on social media on Thursday, with the former threatening to cut off government contracts with Musk, while the X CEO suggested Trump should be impeached.
This comes a day after Musk slammed Trump’s signature spending bill, urging people to contact their lawmakers to “kill” the legislation.
Also criticising Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill Act’, Musk said it would add to the already ballooning national debt.
The President initially held his tongue while Musk campaigned to torpedo the bill, saying it would add too much to the nation’s $36.2 trillion in debt.
Trump broke his silence on Thursday, telling reporters in the Oval Office he was “very disappointed” in Musk.
“I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office as visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz looked on silently.
“Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore.”
A hurt-sounding Trump, 78, noted in a 10-minute diatribe that it had been only a week since he hosted a grand farewell for Musk as he left the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Trump later called Musk “crazy” and insisted he had asked the tycoon to leave because he was “wearing thin.”
As Trump spoke, Musk responded in real time with increasingly acerbic posts on X.
“Without me, Trump would have lost the election,” wrote Musk, who spent nearly $300 million backing Trump and other Republicans in last year’s election. “Such ingratitude.”
In another post, Musk asserted that Trump’s signature tariffs would push the US into a recession later this year.Besides Tesla, Musk’s businesses include rocket company and government contractor SpaceX and its satellite unit Starlink.
Musk, whose space business plays a critical role in the US government’s space program, said that as a result of Trump’s threats, he would begin decommissioning SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft.
Dragon is the only US spacecraft capable of sending astronauts to the International Space Station.
Hurling more insults at each other on social media, Musk wrote that Trump was referenced in government documents on disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, claiming the same as the reason for the Trump administration not releasing all records related to the sex abuser.
Meanwhile, responding to media queries, a White House spokesperson on Thursday said Musk’s views on the bill won’t change President Trump’s opinions.
Hours later, the once-close relationship disintegrated in full public view, as the world’s most powerful man and its richest launched more personal barbs at one another on Trump’s Truth Social and Musk’s X.
“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it,” Trump posted on Truth Social.Later, responding to Trump’s post, Musk wrote that Trump should be impeached.
He also wrote “Yes,” in response to another user who wrote “President vs Elon. Who wins? My money’s on Elon. Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should replace him.”
Trump’s Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of Congress and are highly unlikely to impeach him.
Speculation had long swirled that a relationship between the world’s richest person and its most powerful could not last long — but the speed of the meltdown took Washington by surprise
