The very public break in the relations between United States President Donald Trump and the world’s richest man Elon Musk is finally here. Many had punted on how long the bonhomie between the two most powerful men in America would last. Some had given them until October this year, if not less. They came apart sooner, in spectacular fashion.
End Of Trump-Musk Bromance
Why In News
- The very public break in the relations between United States President Donald Trump and the world’s richest man Elon Musk is finally here. Many had punted on how long the bonhomie between the two most powerful men in America would last. Some had given them until October this year, if not less. They came apart sooner, in spectacular fashion.
- These are men with extraordinary achievements — Trump made a phenomenal comeback that made history in the US and the world; Musk, with a net worth of $420 billion, has his footprint in industries from tech to space, social media to electric mobility.
What Trump Said
- Trump publicly called Musk “crazy”: “I asked him to leave,” Trump said, claiming Musk “just went CRAZY” after he removed the EV mandate and that Musk is only upset because he lost government support for electric vehicles.
- Expressed deep disappointment: “I’ve aided him significantly. Look, Elon and I had a fantastic rapport. I can’t say if that will continue. I was taken aback,” Trump said.
- Accused Musk of not objecting to the bill before: Trump accused Musk of knowing all about his administration’s tax cut and spending bill and not objecting until after he left the administration: “He knew everything about it. He had no problem with it”.
- Threatened to terminate all government contracts: Trump threatened to terminate all government contracts and subsidies for Musk’s companies, saying, “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”.
- Blamed Musk’s criticism on losing the EV tax credits: “Elon is upset because we implemented the E.V. mandate, which was a considerable sum for electric vehicles, and they’re struggling—the electric vehicles—and they expect us to provide billions in subsidies. Elon was aware of this from the outset. He has known this for quite a while. That’s been consistent from the start”.
What Musk Said
- Accused Trump of lying about his knowledge of the bill: “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!”.
- Claimed credit for Trump’s 2024 win: “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate”.
- Called Trump ungrateful: “Such ingratitude”, Musk said.
- Endorsed calls for Trump’s impeachment and said he should be replaced: When a user posted “Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should replace him,” Musk replied “Yes”.
- Alleged Trump’s name is in the sealed Epstein files: Musk alleged that the “real reason” the sealed Epstein files are not public is because they include Trump.
- Said will decommission Dragon spacecraft then backed down: Musk responded to Trump’s contract threats by announcing, “In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately”. However, hours later, he replied to a post suggesting he take a step back and cool off for a few days, saying, “Good advice. OK, we won’t decommission Dragon.”
Multiple Reasons For The Growing Distance
- According to the report, there are multiple reasons for the growing distance between Trump and Musk.
- EV tax credit cut : Trump’s signature bill eliminates an important consumer tax credit for EV owners, worth up to $7,500, which Tesla reportedly spent $240,000 lobbying to maintain as of late April. Musk reportedly pleaded with Trump for its retention behind the scenes. Still, it was ultimately unsuccessful, a frustration that lingered despite the president turning the White House lawn into a Tesla dealership in March to help promote Musk’s cars after vandals targeted his showrooms.
- Musk wanted to stay on : Axios reports that the billionaire actually wanted to stay on in his role as a “special government employee” beyond its statutory limit of 130 days, despite numerous reported blowups with members of Trump’s cabinet in private. Ultimately, however, an extension deal could not be reached with the president’s team.
- Billionaire wanted air traffic controllers to use Starlink : Another reported disagreement concerned Musk’s appeal to the Federal Aviation Administration to begin using his Starlink satellite technology. This demand was rejected due to both conflict-of-interest concerns and technological reasons. “You can’t have air traffic control just run off satellites,” a source told Axios.
- Musk’s presence in the West Wing sparked several other conflict-of-interest concerns, the most recent of which saw 42 Democrats write to the Pentagon’s inspector general to sound the alarm over SpaceX’s potential involvement in Trump’s Golden Dome anti-missile defense system.
- Trump’s removal of Jared Isaacman as his nominee to be NASA’s next administrator. Among the billionaire’s alleged enemies in the White House was Sergio Gor, director of the Office of Presidential Personnel, with whom he is said to have clashed.
- When Trump abruptly decided over the weekend to withdraw the nomination of Musk ally Jared Isaacman to be NASA’s next administrator, rumors quickly spread that Gor was behind the decision and intended it as an “out-the-door ‘f*** you’ to Musk.”
- That claim has been disputed, however, with complaints from Republican senators about Isaacman’s track record as a Democratic donor also given as a reason for the decision. “Perception is reality, though, and I’m pretty sure Elon thought the NASA situation was a last insult,” an official told Axios. “So here we are.”
