Trump vs Musk | '3.5 years left as president, I have...': Billionaire bromance explodes into public feud over spending bill, EV cuts, and Epstein jibe

Trump vs Musk: What started as a powerful alliance between US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk has now turned into a full-blown public spat, unfolding on the very social media platforms they own. Once allies, the US president and the billionaire tech mogul are now trading insults, accusations and threats over policy disagreements and personal jabs.

It all began when Musk slammed Trump’s flagship spending bill, calling it a “disgusting abomination” and urging Americans to call their representatives to oppose it. Musk claimed the bill was packed with wasteful “pork” spending and said it would irresponsibly add to the national debt.

Trump, who had remained silent initially, responded during a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. “I’m very disappointed in Musk,” he said, suggesting that Musk only began criticising the bill after leaving the Department of Government Efficiency.

“Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here. All of a sudden he had a problem,” Trump added.

But Musk pushed back sharply. “This bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!”

EV policy flashpoint

Trump claimed Musk was upset because the bill removed subsidies and mandates for electric vehicles, which could hit Tesla hard. “He only developed a problem when he found out I would cut the EV mandate,” Trump said.

Musk denied that his concerns were self-serving. He wrote, “Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill.”

Musk drags Epstein into row

In a stunning escalation, Musk went further and accused Trump of being linked to Jeffrey Epstein, claiming the administration withheld related files. “Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public,” Musk posted. “Have a nice day, DJT!”

He later added, “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”

Time to drop the really big bomb:@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.

Have a nice day, DJT!

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025

A broken alliance

At one point, Musk had backed Trump’s presidential bid and poured millions into campaign support. Now, Musk is making it clear he regrets that relationship.

“Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” Musk stated.

Trump, however, brushed off Musk’s influence. “I’m very disappointed, because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here, better than you people.”

Musk hit back again, saying Trump’s version of events was “false.”

Power struggle turns personal

Trump hinted at cutting off government contracts to Musk’s companies like SpaceX and Starlink. “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” he wrote on Truth Social.

In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately pic.twitter.com/NG9sijjkgW

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025

Musk responded defiantly. When a user pointed out this could impact the International Space Station, Musk dared Trump, posting, “Go ahead, make my day.”

He also issued a veiled warning to lawmakers. “Trump has 3.5 years left as President, but I will be around for 40+ years,” Musk said.