 "President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as Elon Musk listens in the Oval Office at the White House, in Washington. AP")
The brief bromance between US President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk came to a sour end after the billionaire unleashed online attacks against the POTUS. After hurling criticisms against Trump, Musk claimed that the Republican firebrand would have lost the election without his support.
“Without me, Trump would have lost the election,” Musk said on X. “Such ingratitude.” Musk’s remarks came in response to Trump’s threats to cut subsidies and perks offered to his companies like Tesla, SpaceX and Starlink.
While speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he was “ very disappointed ” by Musk’s criticism of his “big beautiful " spending bill, adding that he didn’t know if his friendship with his billionaire former advisor would survive. “Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore. I was surprised,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office after Musk slammed the bill as an “abomination”.
“I’m very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here… All of a sudden, he had a problem,” he added. Musk took to X, formerly known as Twitter, rejecting the remarks made by Trump.
Trump narrated what went down between him and Musk
While speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump narrated the downfall of his and Musk’s friendship, with many calling it a therapy session rather than a meeting with a foreign leader. He recalled Musk’s farewell press conference and mentioned how the billionaire stood next to the president with a black eye .
“You saw a man who was very happy when he stood behind the Oval desk, and even with the black eye. I said, You want a little makeup? We’ll get you a little makeup,” Trump said. “But he said, ‘No, I don’t think so,’ which is interesting and very nice. He wants to be who he is.” Interestingly, at that time, Musk was facing reports of drug use during his time as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency.
Trump also mentioned that he could understand why Musk was upset with some steps he had taken, including withdrawing a nominee to lead the NASA space agency who was supported by the tech tycoon. The POTUS was narrating this saga while sitting in front of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who had no other option but to sit silently through it all.
At the heart of the Trump-Musk feud is the “big, beautiful bill” on tax and spending. The centrepiece of his domestic agenda, it aims to continue tax cuts from his first term and is being touted as the make-or-break bill for Republican prospects in the 2026 midterm elections.
Musk slammed the bill, calling it a “disgusting abomination” on Tuesday, because it will increase the US deficit. A day later, the magnate called for Republicans to “kill the bill,” and for an alternative plan that “doesn’t massively grow the deficit.”