Elon Musk and Donald Trump Engage in Heated Online Feud, Exposing Political Rifts

The simmering tensions between Elon Musk and Donald Trump have finally erupted into a full-blown public squabble, playing out across their respective digital platforms. This clash highlights the growing divide between the two figures and underscores the power of social media in shaping political narratives.

Musk has been using his social media platform, X, to voice criticisms of Trump, while the former president has retaliated on Truth Social and Fox News. The feud began shortly after Musk stepped down from leading DOGE, and following Musk’s condemnation of Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” a spending package passed by House Republicans in May. Musk described the bill as “a disgusting abomination,” citing concerns about its potential to increase the federal budget deficit by $3.8 trillion over the next decade through increased defense spending, immigration enforcement, and tax cuts.

In a tweet dated June 5, 2025, Musk stated, “The Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year,” signaling his growing disapproval of Trump’s economic policies.

The increasingly isolated nature of this conflict underscores the fractured political alliance between Musk and Trump. It also emphasizes the impact of social media and dedicated fan bases in influencing policy debates and public sentiment.

While Trump appears to be attempting to undermine a potential rival, Musk’s motives are more complex. His political statements have already negatively impacted Tesla, and continued involvement could further harm his business interests. However, it could also solidify his image as an anti-establishment figure—a tech leader who can sway American politics independently of conventional power structures.

Musk has hinted at plans to challenge politicians who supported Trump’s budget bill in the 2026 midterms. He also conducted a poll on X asking whether it was “time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?” The poll, pinned to the top of his X account, showed overwhelming support for the idea, with 82.3% of nearly 1 million voters responding affirmatively within two hours.

Just weeks prior to this, Musk stated that he would step away from politics to focus on his businesses. It is these same businesses that Trump is seemingly targeting. On Truth Social, Trump accused Musk of going “CRAZY” because his administration “took away his EV mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody wanted.” It is important to note that there was never a mandate that forced anyone to buy EVs. Trump’s spending bill aims to eliminate the EV tax credit by the end of the year.

Musk responded on X, asserting that he had no prior knowledge of the bill before its passage in the House.

Trump further claimed that he declined to appoint someone Musk “knew very well to run NASA” because he deemed it “inappropriate.” He suggested cutting Musk’s government subsidies and contracts as a way to save billions of dollars in the federal budget.

According to a Washington Post report from February, Musk’s companies have been awarded at least $38 billion in government contracts, loans, subsidies, and tax credits over the next two decades, with approximately two-thirds of that amount committed in the last five years.

Axios reported that Musk’s frustration with Trump’s spending bill stemmed from his failure to secure favorable treatment for his business ventures, despite having donated over $260 million to Trump’s election campaign.

The conflict between Musk and Trump is intensifying and taking on a personal dimension.

“Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” Musk wrote in response to a video of Trump criticizing him on Fox News. “Such ingratitude.”

Musk then made a more serious allegation, stating, “[Donald Trump] is in the Epstein files,” and suggesting this was the reason for their continued secrecy. He added, “That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!”

In response to Trump’s threat to cancel government contracts, Musk announced that SpaceX would begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft “immediately.” Musk also responded with “Yes” to a post on X asking whether Trump should be impeached.