From tweets to takedowns: How the Musk-Trump alliance went nuclear
A digital jab turned into a full-blown political slugfest when President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk clashed over Trump’s “One, Big, Beautiful Bill”. Musk reignited the feud by digging up Trump’s old tweets from 2012 and 2013, where he slammed the national deficit — tweets that now seem at odds with Trump’s support for a Republican tax bill projected by the Congressional Budget Office and economists to worsen the debt. Musk’s move wasn’t subtle — it was a sharp spotlight on what he sees as a case of fiscal flip-flopping.
Later, Trump responded publicly during a White House event, accusing Musk of being bitter about the loss of EV subsidies. He expressed disappointment, saying he had supported Musk for years. Musk hit back immediately, calling Trump’s claim untrue and arguing that the bill had been passed so quickly, even lawmakers hadn’t had time to read it. From there, things escalated. Musk floated the idea of forming a party “for the 80% in the middle”.
The feud quickly turned personal. Musk mockingly renamed Trump’s proposal the “Big Ugly Spending Bill”. Trump retaliated on Truth Social, claiming Musk had become erratic and that he’d been removed from influence. He also threatened to cancel Musk’s government contracts and subsidies. Musk dared him to follow through — and declared that SpaceX would immediately shut down its Dragon spacecraft. Then came the shocker: Musk reposted a video from the 1990s of Trump with Jeffrey Epstein, reviving old controversies.
Trump downplayed the spat, suggesting Musk had personal issues. Musk, meanwhile, announced a new political movement called “The America Party” and hinted at apologising — but only if the Epstein files were fully released. Though both sides briefly exchanged polite words, a day back, Musk had deleted some explosive posts, while Trump warned of “serious consequences” if Musk backed Democrats. The once-powerful alliance had officially collapsed.
Here's a timeline of the dramatic rise and fall of the Trump–Musk bromance, packed with all the highs, lows, and social media mic drops.
2016: “Not the right guy”
Back when Trump was just a presidential hopeful, Musk was firmly with Team Hillary.
In a CNBC interview, Musk dismissed Trump, saying he "doesn't have the sort of character that reflects well on the US”.
2017–2020: Frenemies with benefits
Sespite their ideological clash, Musk joined Trump’s advisory councils and worked closely through SpaceX–NASA ties. But when Trump ditched the Paris Climate Agreement in 2017, Musk walked away from the table, tweeting: “Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world.” Still, Trump publicly called Musk a “great guy” at a 2020 SpaceX launch.
2022–2023: Red shift and rivalries
Musk flipped red in 2022, blasting Democrats as a “party of division and hate” — but that didn’t mean he backed Trump.
Instead, he backed Ron DeSantis, even joining a Twitter livestream in May 2023 to support the Florida governor’s presidential run. Ironically, Musk still reinstated Trump’s Twitter account in late 2022 after acquiring the platform — four days after Trump launched his 2024 campaign.
July 2024: Assassination attempt sparks support
Following an attempted assassination at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Musk made a dramatic pivot — publicly backing Trump for president in a viral X post.
October 2024: MAGA and meme governance
The bromance hit full bloom when Musk appeared on an X livestream with Trump and even teased a fake federal agency: DoGE (Department of Government Efficiency).
He put his money where his memes were — spending $250 million to boost the Grand Old Party (GOP) campaigns, mostly for Trump. At another rally in Butler, Musk wore a Make America Great Again (MAGA) hat and declared Trump “the only candidate to preserve democracy in America.”
November 2024: DoGE goes real
Trump rewarded loyalty fast — creating DoGE by executive order. Musk was tasked with slashing government waste. To sweeten the bromance, Trump attended a SpaceX Starship launch in Texas in full presidential support mode.
January 2025: "A star is born"
On election night, Trump gave Musk a glowing shoutout: “An amazing guy… A star is born.”
Early 2025: Red Teslas and cabinet clout
Musk couldn’t meet his $1 trillion savings goal as DoGE chief, but Trump still treated him like a star advisor — from Air Force One rides to White House cabinet meetings.
When Tesla faced protests, Trump pulled up to the White House lawn in a red Tesla, praising Musk and promising to buy one himself.
April 2025: The exit
Musk's 130-day term as a special government employee neared its end. Trump told him:
“You’re invited to stay as long as you want… But I know you want to get back to your cars.”
May 2025: The breakup begins
In a May 29 CBS interview, Musk criticized Trump’s new spending bill for increasing the deficit — the very thing he was hired to reduce. Trump waved him off the next day with a cryptic line: “Elon’s really not leaving. He’ll be back and forth, I think.”
June 2025: Full-on flame war
Out of office and unleashed, Musk called Trump’s bill a “disgusting abomination”. Trump retaliated with threats to kill federal subsidies and contracts linked to Musk’s companies.
Musk responded with fire: “Trump wouldn’t have won without me.” He reshared anti-Trump posts, including one pushing for impeachment. Then, the nuke: Musk accused Trump of intentionally blocking the full Epstein files — hinting at the President’s own alleged involvement.
The last couple of days: Twitter wars and billionaire barbs
Musk digs into the past
Musk kicked off June 5 by digging up old tweets from Trump — back when it was still called Twitter — targeting posts from 2012 and 2013 where Trump blasted the national deficit. Musk’s timing suggested a jab at the newly unveiled Republican tax bill.
Trump fires back with EV accusations
Responding during a White House event with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump accused Musk of being salty about losing the EV mandate: “They're having a hard time, the electric vehicles... Elon knew every aspect of this bill — better than almost anybody — and he never had a problem until right after he left," said Trump. “I’ve helped Elon a lot. I’m disappointed.”
Musk launches rapid-fire rebuttals
Musk wasn’t having it. He fired off tweet after tweet denying involvement in the bill: “False, this bill was never shown to me!” he wrote. Musk then began a series of tweets directed at the president beyond the bill, including saying that without him, Republicans would have lost.
He escalated further, proposing a new political party for “the 80% in the middle” — a post billionaire Mark Cuban endorsed.
The nicknames start flying
Musk gives Trump's bill — known on paper as the "One Big Beautiful Bill" — a new name: "Big Ugly Spending Bill". Trump retaliated on Truth Social: "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!" Trump wrote.
Things get nuclear — SpaceX and Epstein
Musk called Trump’s version of events a “lie” and seemed to challenge him to cancel government contracts. Then, Musk dropped two bombshells: He claimed SpaceX would immediately decommission its Dragon spacecraft (NASA’s ride to the ISS). He retweeted an old Trump-Epstein party video, fueling online speculation about the Epstein files.
Economic warnings
Musk warned Trump's tariffs would “cause a recession in the second half of this year,” echoing concerns from economists and JPMorgan analysts.
Cold shoulders and the “America Party”
Trump plays it cool
On a CNN call, Trump brushed off the feud: “I’m not even thinking about Elon… The poor guy’s got a problem.” He repeated the sentiment aboard Air Force One, even saying he wished Musk well.
Musk names his party, and floats an apology
Musk christened his political party idea: “The America Party.” A Twitter/X poll he ran racked up 5.6 million votes, with 80% saying yes to a new option. Later, Musk suggested he’d “apologize profusely” to Trump — but only after the Epstein files were fully released.
Olive branches... maybe
A White House account posted a clip of Trump saying he wishes Musk well. For a brief moment, it looked like a truce could be in sight.
Clean-up and quiet threats
Musk scrubs the timeline
Musk had later deleted several of his more explosive posts — including the Epstein-related tweet and the dramatic threat to decommission SpaceX’s Dragon capsule. Still, criticism of Trump’s tax bill remained live on his X feed.
Trump issues a subtle threat
In a phone call with NBC News, Trump made one thing clear: No reconciliation was on the table. He even warned that if Musk backed Democratic candidates, there would be “serious consequences”.
What next?
Coming from two wealthy and extremely powerful men who have made themselves notorious for loud melodramatic gestures and unfiltered social media statements, and who seem to have no concern whatsoever for their respective public images, it's hard to predict where this soured bromance will end up. One thing is for sure, neither of them will yield the stage any time soon. Onlookers can place their bets...or perhaps quietly exit the house before it burns down.