Once close pals, President Trump and Elon Musk were sure to clash, but will they be able to stay away from each other?
Well, who could have seen that coming?
Aside from everyone.
President Donald Trump and billionaire businessman and future Bond villain Elon Musk had a falling out in recent days. They were once close pals, with Musk campaigning alongside Trump and donating millions of dollars to him.
It was a striking change for Musk, who was once perceived as having moderate to liberal views. He said he voted for Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and, in 2020, Joe Biden.
But last year he emerged as a Trump cheerleader — literally.
After Trump’s return to power, he gave Musk and his team access to government agencies and the private information of millions of Americans. Musk was a “special government employee” who was named to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. He rampaged on stage with a chainsaw at the Conservative Political Action Conference and seemed to be enjoying creating as much turmoil as possible.
The alliance started in fray in recent weeks as Musk failed in a bid to influence a state Supreme Court race in Wisconsin. His favored candidate lost by 10 points despite an influx of cash and Musk parading around in a cheesehead.
Musk’s support for far-right parties around the world, his apparent Nazi salute at a pre-inauguration event and his stumbling and poorly organized efforts to streamline the federal government were not popular with millions of Americans. His constant presence in the White House irritated Trump administration officials.
On top of that, his reported excessive drug use, multiple relationships and children made him a very controversial figure. This legally challenged administration is filled with people whose qualifications are questionable.
Musk left the White House at the end of May to focus on Tesla, which has lost a reported $380 billion in value this year. Within days, he and Trump were attacking each other.
Robert Reich, who served as labor secretary during the Clinton administration and produces an enlightening and entertaining blog on Substack, compiled the decline in the Trump-Musk bromance:
ELON (February 7, 2025): “I love @realDonaldTrump as much as a straight man can love another man.”
ELON (June 3, 2025, four days after leaving the Trump regime): “[Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill is a] disgusting abomination” and “shame on those who voted for it” and “In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people”
DONALD (June 5, 2025): “You saw a man who was very happy when he stood behind the Oval desk. Even with a black eye. I said, do you want a little makeup? He said, no, I don’t think so. Which is interesting, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will any more.”
ELON (June 5, 2025): “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate. … Such ingratitude.
DONALD: “Elon was ‘wearing thin,’ I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!”
ELON: “Such an obvious lie. So sad. … 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!”
ELON (in response to a Musk supporter who calls for Trump to be impeached): “Yes.”
DONALD: “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!”
ELON: “In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.”
DONALD: “Elon is suffering from Trump derangement syndrome.”
ELON: “Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonald Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! … Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”
ELON: [Reposts video of Trump partying with Epstein in 1992 with a “hmm” emoji.]
ELON [Posts a poll and asks]: “Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?”
ELON: “The Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year.”
There were attempts to calm the waters, with fans of both men and members of Congress pleading with them to lower their online weapons and the volume of this dispute.
Alas, it looks like they are still on the outs. Trump, who once promoted Teslas at the White House — typical for his ethics-free presidency — now says he is selling his Muskmobile. He said he doesn’t want to talk to his former close chum.
But hope springs eternal. Like ever-shifting tariff policies, Trump and Musk may get back together again. They recognize something in each other and will have a difficult time staying away. They crave attention.
So, make some popcorn and sit back and watch. This show will go on.
Fourth-generation South Dakotan Tom Lawrence has written for several newspapers and websites in South Dakota and other states for four decades. He has contributed to The New York Times, NPR, The London Telegraph, The Daily Beast and other media outlets. Do not republish without permission.
Photo: public domain, wikimedia commons
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