The relationship between US President Donald Trump and his former ally, Elon Musk, reached a breaking point Thursday as their public feud escalated.
The tech billionaire, and erstwhile leader of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), created by Mr Trump, made a series of posts on X in response to Mr Trump’s remark at the oval office on Thursday.
In one of his posts, he alleged that Mr Trump has ties to convicted sex offender and financier, Jeffrey Epstein.
“Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public,” Mr Musk wrote on X, his social media platform.
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Minutes later, he followed up with, “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”
A number of powerful individuals have been previously linked to Jeffrey Epstein, with their names reportedly in court documents detailing Mr Epstein’s decades-long history of sexual abuse.
Among those mentioned are Mr Trump, Prince Andrew, and former President Bill Clinton.
However, Mr Trump has denied any connection to Mr Epstein.
War of words
Mr Musk was a major financier and supporter of Mr Trump’s reelection.
Their alliance, once strong, fractured over disagreements about Mr Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” passed by the House in May.
The bill seeks to enact tax reforms, cut federal spendings on policies such as medicaid and school feeding for children and implement various policy changes.
Mr Musk, who previously led DOGE, criticised the bill for its projected $2.4 trillion deficit impact.
“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,” he wrote on X on Tuesday.
At the oval office on Thursday, when asked to react to Mr Musk’s statement, Mr Trump expressed disappointment at the criticism.
“Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore,” Mr Trump told reporters.
Shortly after, Mr Musk made a post on X stating that Mr Trump could not have won the 2024 election without him.
“Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate. Such ingratitude,” he wrote.
Irritated by this, Mr Trump fired back on his own social media site, Truth Social, that the “easiest way to save money” would be to “terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.”
In response, Mr Musk, on X, announced that SpaceX, his private aerospace company, would decommission its Dragon Spacecraft.
The Dragon spacecraft has been a critical component of NASA’s operations, serving as the primary vehicle for transporting astronauts and cargo to and from the International Space Station (ISS).
Trump and Elon’s relationship
Mr Trump’s relationship with Mr Musk was considered a powerful political alliance. Mr Musk was the largest individual donor in the 2024 election cycle won by Mr Trump and the Republican Party.
The billionaire contributed approximately $288 million to support Mr Trump and other Republican candidates.
He was given authority through DOGE to lead efforts to reshape the federal government. But the relationship soured after Mr Musk left the agency and publicly criticised the Trump administration’s budget bill.
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Mr Musk has also stated that Mr Trump’s tariff will cause a recession by the second half of the year.
In his post on Truth social, Mr Trump said, “I don’t mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago.
“This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. It’s a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesn’t pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that.
“I didn’t create this mess, I’m just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!.”
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