In an unexpected late-game rivalry, Trump and Musk have increasingly exchanged blows on the campaign trail. In recent weeks, we have witnessed these two giants lock horns more than ever. In the past, their public feud has most notably taken place on Twitter. It’s been marked by an extraordinary number of charges, allegations of deep state control, and conflicts over key, must-pass bills. The clash has drawn attention not only due to their high profiles but because of Musk’s substantial financial backing during Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Elon Musk, the world’s richest person and the leader of both Tesla and SpaceX, reportedly invested $288 million to help elect Trump. Despite this financial support, Musk has recently taken to X (formerly Twitter) to express his discontent with Trump’s political maneuvers. Yet on all of these issues he lambasted the former president. Tariffs will push US into recession later this year, Elon Musk … — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 16, 2018
The division grew considerably after Musk publicly opposed a major infrastructure bill that Trump had supported, leading to a public feud between the two mega-millionaires. Musk claimed Trump had ties to the “Epstein Files.” While this claim has caused heads to turn and blood to boil among their fans. This accusation marks a stark departure from Musk’s previous position as a key ally within Trump’s inner circle.
In fact, Musk has said that Trump’s election victory was very much dependent on his own backing. He stated, “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.” This assertion underscores Musk’s belief that his influence played a crucial role in shaping the political landscape during the 2016 elections.
This hostility has been exacerbated by Musk’s increasingly erratic and combative stance on social media. He posted a screenshot of a Trump post while declaring plans to decommission SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, an apparent jab at the former president’s policies. Unlike many other online users, Musk went along with the impeachment calls to Trump. This is a huge turnaround from his previous political position.
Trump has hardly been quiet during these Trump-on-Trump developments. In response to Musk’s criticisms, he suggested that the easiest way to save government funds would be to eliminate Musk’s subsidies and contracts. Trump remarked, “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!”
The exchange continued – not-so-clearly moderated – with Trump responding to Musk’s complaints in recent days about the legislative process. He remarked on Musk’s perceived volatility, stating, “Elon was ‘wearing thin,’ I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!” Such a comment illustrates the fracturing of their relationship as the Trump administration started pushing to roll back environmental regulations.
This week, Musk raised a great hue and cry over one particular congressional spending bill. He described it as a “disgusting abomination” and trained his fire on its backers. He stated: “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”
Musk’s appeal to distance himself from Trump is especially interesting given how close Musk and Trump were just a short time ago. He repeatedly toured Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Resort in Palm Beach. He even dreamed of his candidate to run NASA, but Trump’s administration undercut those dreams.
Both candidates continue to trade barbs on their favorite social media platforms. At the same time, in this world of extreme transparency, the public is closely monitoring every step. Their ongoing conflict raises questions about the implications of such personal disputes in the broader context of American politics and business.