They were basically inseparable. Remember the 2024 campaign trail? Elon Musk was everywhere—jumping around on stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, pouring over $200 million into the America PAC, and basically acting as Donald Trump’s shadow. Trump called him a "star." Musk said he loved him. It looked like the ultimate power alliance between the world’s richest man and the world’s most powerful one.
Then it all went south. Fast.
If you’ve been watching the headlines lately, you know the Musk vs Trump saga has been a rollercoaster. By mid-2025, the "First Buddy" era was officially dead, replaced by social media barbs that felt more like a messy celebrity divorce than a political disagreement. But what actually caused the break? It wasn't just one mean tweet. It was a perfect storm of ego, cold hard cash, and a massive piece of legislation that neither side could agree on.
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The "One Big Beautiful Bill" that broke everything
The honeymoon didn't just end; it exploded because of a 2025 legislative monster called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB).
Trump wanted this to be his legacy. It was a massive spending and tax-cut package designed to define his second term. For Musk, though, it was a "disgusting abomination."
Honestly, the irony is thick here. Musk had just spent months leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), trying to slash $2 trillion from the federal budget. He’d overseen layoffs of thousands of federal workers. Then, Trump backs a bill that Musk claimed was stuffed with "pork" and would send the national debt—already sitting at $38 trillion—spiraling out of control.
On June 3, 2025, Musk took to X and told his followers to "fire all politicians who betrayed the American people" by supporting the bill. Trump didn't take that well. Not at all.
It wasn't just about the debt
While Musk played the role of the fiscal hawk, Trump had a different theory. He claimed Musk’s sudden "derangement" (Trump's word, not mine) was actually about Electric Vehicle (EV) subsidies.
The OBBB aimed to roll back the EV tax credits from the Biden era. For a guy like Musk, whose net worth is tied heavily to Tesla’s success, that’s a direct hit to the wallet. Trump mocked him in the Oval Office, telling reporters that Musk was only "pro-efficiency" until it touched his own subsidies.
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"Elon was wearing thin," Trump posted on Truth Social. He even claimed he’d asked Musk to leave the administration. Musk fired back, saying the bill was never even shown to him and calling Trump’s "ingratitude" shocking given that, in Musk's view, Trump would have lost the election without him.
When things got personal (and weird)
Things escalated beyond policy pretty quickly. We’re talking about two of the most volatile personalities on the planet, so naturally, the gloves came off.
- The Epstein Allegations: In one of the most shocking moments of the feud, Musk suggested that Trump’s name was in the unreleased Jeffrey Epstein files. He literally posted on X that this was the "real reason" they hadn't been made public.
- The SpaceX Threat: After Trump threatened to cancel Musk’s government contracts to "save billions," Musk threatened to decommission the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. This was a huge deal because that’s the only way U.S. astronauts currently get to the International Space Station.
- The America Party: Musk even ran a poll on X about starting a third political party to represent the "80% in the middle." It got millions of votes.
It was chaos. Pure, unadulterated chaos. One day they’re selling Teslas on the White House lawn (literally, Trump bought a red Model S in March 2025 to show support), and the next, Musk is calling for a third impeachment.
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The 2026 Thaw: Is the bromance back?
So, where do they stand now?
As of January 2026, the ice is finally starting to melt. It turns out that being enemies is bad for business—and bad for the country. Tesla’s stock took a beating during the height of the feud, and the U.S. government realized it’s actually pretty hard to run a space program or a national defense shield (like the "Golden Dome" project) without SpaceX.
They were seen shaking hands at a memorial service for Charlie Kirk in late 2025. Then, just a few weeks ago, Musk posted about having a "lovely dinner" with Trump and the First Lady at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump is back to calling Musk an "80% super genius." He’s even leaning on Musk’s Starlink to help with internet access during the ongoing blackouts in Iran. It seems they’ve realized they’re more powerful together than apart, even if they still drive each other crazy.
Key Takeaways from the Musk-Trump Rollercoaster
The real reason for the feud wasn't just one thing. It was a mix of:
- Fiscal Philosophy: Musk wanted massive cuts; Trump wanted his signature spending bill.
- Business Interests: The removal of EV mandates and subsidies hurt Tesla's bottom line.
- Power Dynamics: Both men want to be the "main character" in the story of America.
- Interdependence: The U.S. government is too reliant on SpaceX, and Musk is too reliant on government contracts for them to stay mad forever.
If you're trying to keep track of this in the future, watch the 2026 midterms. Musk has already signaled he might start funding GOP candidates again. The "America Party" idea seems to be on the back burner for now, but with these two, you can never say never. Keep an eye on X and Truth Social—that's where the next round of this heavyweight fight will inevitably happen.
Check the latest SpaceX contract renewals and EV tax credit amendments in the upcoming budget. Those are the real barometers of how "friendly" these two actually are.