US President Donald Trump on Thursday (Jun 6) threatened to chop off authorities contracts with Elon Musk’s firms, because the once-close relationship between the world’s strongest man and its richest unravelled publicly on their rival social media platforms.
Trump mentioned in a televised Oval Workplace diatribe that he was “very upset” after his former aide and high donor criticised his “large, stunning” spending Invoice earlier than Congress.
The pair then hurled insults at one another on social media – with Musk even posting, with out proof, that Trump was referenced in authorities paperwork on disgraced financier and intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The row may have main political and financial fallout, as shares in Musk’s Tesla automotive firm plunged and the South African-born tech tycoon vowed that he would finish a essential US spaceship program.
Hypothesis had lengthy swirled {that a} relationship between the world’s richest individual and its strongest couldn’t final lengthy – however the pace of the meltdown took Washington unexpectedly.
MAY 22
Home Republicans on Might 22, took a significant step ahead on President Donald Trump’s agenda, approving a legislative package that mixes tax breaks, spending cuts, border safety funding and different priorities.
Home committees laboured for months on the Invoice, which underwent late modifications to win over holdouts within the Republican convention. It exceeds 1,000 pages and is titled the One Massive Lovely Invoice Act, a nod to Trump himself.
Republicans made one final spherical of revisions earlier than the Invoice reached the Home ground, boosting the state and native tax deduction to win over centrists and rushing up the work necessities in Medicaid to win over those that didn’t consider the Invoice did sufficient to curb spending.
The One Massive, Lovely Invoice Act – which has now moved to the Senate – would usher into regulation Trump’s imaginative and prescient for a brand new “Golden Age”, led by efforts to shrink social security web programmes to pay for a 10-year extension of his 2017 tax cuts.
MAY 28
Musk, in an interview with CBS Information, criticised the Invoice – however in comparatively tame language.
“I used to be upset to see the large spending Invoice, frankly, which will increase the finances deficit, not simply decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE workforce is doing,” Musk mentioned
“I feel a Invoice may be large or it may be stunning, however I do not know if it may be each. My private opinion,” Musk added.
In a separate interview with the Washington Submit, Musk mentioned: “The federal paperwork state of affairs is way worse than I realised.”
“I assumed there have been issues, but it surely positive is an uphill battle making an attempt to enhance issues in DC, to say the least.”
JUN 3
Lower than per week later, the gloves got here off and the tone turned considerably extra confrontational.
“I’m sorry, however I simply can’t stand it anymore. This huge, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending Invoice is a disgusting abomination. Disgrace on those that voted for it: you probably did mistaken. You realize it,” Musk wrote on his X platform.
“It can massively enhance the already gigantic finances deficit to US$2.5 trillion and burden Americans with crushingly unsustainable debt.”
Musk additionally posted on X: “In November subsequent 12 months, we fireplace all politicians who betrayed the American folks,” referring to the Senate elections that are scheduled to be held on Nov 3, 2026.
JUN 4
On Wednesday, Musk made a number of posts on X in regards to the Invoice, writing that “a brand new spending Invoice ought to be drafted that does not massively develop the deficit and enhance the debt ceiling by 5 trillion {dollars}”.
In one other submit later within the day, he wrote: “Name your Senator, Name your Congressmen, Bankrupting America is NOT okay! KILL the BILL.”
He additionally referred to as the spending Invoice the “Debt Slavery Invoice”, as, in response to him, the Invoice comprises the most important enhance within the debt ceiling in US historical past.
JUN 5, 12PM EASTERN TIME (JUN 6, 12AM, SINGAPORE TIME)
Trump, after he met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, addressed Musk’s criticisms and added that he anticipated Musk criticising him personally.
“Elon is upset as a result of we took the EV mandate, and , which was some huge cash for electrical automobiles,” Trump mentioned within the Oval Workplace.
“They’re having a tough time – the electrical automobiles – they usually need us to pay billions of {dollars} in subsidies. And, , Elon knew this from the start.”
“Look, Elon and I had an excellent relationship. I do not know if we are going to anymore,” he added.
“He mentioned essentially the most stunning issues about me, and he hasn’t mentioned dangerous about me personally, however I am positive that’ll be subsequent. However I am, I am very upset in Elon. I’ve helped Elon so much.”
He went on to say Musk knew the interior workings of the Invoice.
JUN 5, 12.10PM
On Wednesday, Musk posted on X: “Slim Lovely Invoice for the win”.
Musk then replied to this submit on X at 12.13PM, writing: “Hold the great, take away the dangerous.”
Musk appeared to reply in actual time to Trump’s claims from the Oval Workplace in regards to the EV mandate.
“Hold the EV/photo voltaic incentive cuts within the Invoice, despite the fact that no oil& fuel subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), however ditch the mountain of disgusting pork within the Invoice,” he mentioned.
“In your entire historical past of civilisation, there has by no means been laws that’s each large and exquisite. Everybody is aware of this!
“Both you get an enormous and ugly Invoice or a slim and exquisite Invoice. Slim and exquisite is the way in which.”
