Musk: – “One president who couldn’t climb a flight of stairs, and another who was fist-pumping after getting shot. Fight. Fight. Fight.”
What began as a policy disagreement between President Donald Trump and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has quickly unraveled into one of the most dramatic political and personal feuds in recent memory. By Thursday, what had started as a disagreement over fiscal policy had erupted into all-out warfare, featuring personal attacks, conspiracy theories, and threats involving government contracts worth billions.
Here’s a detailed look at three of the most damaging things each man has said about the other—so far.
Musk links Trump to Jeffrey Epstein.
In one of the most explosive accusations yet, Musk dragged Trump into the murky waters of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. During a rapid-fire series of posts on X, Musk wrote:
“Time 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.”
Musk provided no evidence, and the files to which he referred have not been publicly confirmed. Still, the allegation struck a chord due to existing photos of Trump and Epstein together and long-standing speculation about Trump’s past ties to the convicted sex offender. Musk later added:
“Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”
It remains unclear what he was referencing.
Trump accuses Musk of self-serving motives.
Trump wasted no time retaliating. During an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Murs, he said Musk’s outburst wasn’t about spending or government reform, but about protecting Tesla’s bottom line:
“And you know, Elon’s upset because we took the EV mandate, and you know, which was a lot of money for electric vehicles, and, uh, you know, they’re having a hard time—the electric vehicles—and they want us to pay billions of dollars in subsidy. And you know, I—I—Elon knew this from the beginning. He knew it a long time ago. That’s been in there. That’s been, uh—I would say, uh, JD, that hasn’t changed. That’s been right from the beginning. Mr. Secretary, that hasn’t changed at all. Right from the beginning. But I know that disturbed him.”
Later, Trump posted on Truth Social that Musk had “gone crazy” over the electric vehicle cuts. The implication was that Musk’s supposed fiscal conservatism was actually veiled self-interest.
In response, Musk posted:
“Whatever. Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil and gas subsidies are touched. Very unfair, but ditch the mountain of disgusting pork in the bill.”
Musk belittles Trump’s election victories.
Elon Musk took aim at one of Trump’s most sacred beliefs: his electoral prowess. Responding to a user on X who declared Musk more instrumental to the GOP than Trump, Musk replied:
“Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House, and the Republicans would be 51 to 49 in the Senate.”
He added:
“Such ingratitude.”
That kind of dismissal hits hard, especially since Trump regularly touts his wins and the influence of his endorsements. For Musk to claim credit undermines the mythos Trump has built around himself as a self-made political force.
Trump suggests Musk is two-faced.
Trump later accused Musk of hypocrisy, saying he had no issue with the bill while still a government adviser:
“He knew everything about it. He had no problem with it. All of a sudden, he had a problem.”
Musk responded sharply on X:
“False. This bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it.”
The accusation was not only about politics but also about loyalty—a key value in Trump’s political world.
Musk flexes his longevity and influence.
In what many viewed as a veiled threat, Musk wrote:
“Trump has 3.5 years left as president, but I will be around for 40+ years.”
That was a clear message to lawmakers: think twice before taking sides. Musk has more time and arguably more financial firepower. His companies—from Tesla and SpaceX to Neuralink and Starlink—touch almost every sector of American infrastructure.
Trump threatens to cancel Musk’s government deals.
Finally, Trump escalated the feud to a new level by suggesting Musk’s companies could lose their lucrative federal contracts.
“If lawmakers really want to save money, they should terminate Elon’s governmental subsidies and contracts,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Musk dared him to try:
“Go ahead, make my day,” he wrote.
He even added that he would begin decommissioning a key spacecraft, implying the move could damage national interests like the International Space Station and defense programs.
Both men are notoriously stubborn and deeply sensitive to public perception. Trump is known for returning to former allies after ugly splits, but Musk seems less inclined to make peace. The billionaire has backed lawmakers opposing Trump’s bill and continues to engage with critics of the president.
Whether this spat burns out or becomes a full-blown war may depend on how much each is willing to lose—and how far they’re willing to go. What’s clear is that the bromance between Musk and Trump is officially over. And we’re watching a high-stakes battle of power, ego, and influence play out live on America’s biggest platforms.
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