There are many ways that Musk and Trump could cause pain to each other
The Trump-Moson Problem: Social Media, Trump-Bannon, and the Establishment of a New Political Party in the U.S.
Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who are both prominent in the media, are torching their relationship by posting on their public social media networks. I have seen theories that this is kayfabe, and I don’t buy it. Trump and Musk have publicly shit-talked people, including each other, before turning around and working with them. But this is real; threats are being made. I’m not sure how serious it is.
Musk revealed he was funding a super PAC that would promote the principles that made America great in the first place. He had previously said he wouldn’t donate to either presidential candidate. He would go on to donate around $277 million in the election cycle.
Use social media as an irritant. On Thursday afternoon, Mr. Musk asked if there was a time to create a new political party in America that represented 80% of the population. More than 80 percent of the nearly two million respondents so far have voted “yes.” And responding to a post suggesting that “Trump should be impeached,” Mr. Musk said: “Yes.” It was not clear if he agreed with impeachment or another part of the post.
When Musk went on X, he said the bill was passed in the middle of the night without even being shown to him and that no one in Congress could read it. He went on to say that without him, “Trump would have lost the election.”
Musk and Ramaswamy took their pitch to Capitol Hill, proposing a 75% reduction in the federal workforce, a $2 trillion cut to federal spending and the elimination of entire agencies such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Ramaswamy left the project before Trump was elected.
Investigate Mr. Musk’s immigration status and drug use. Mr. Bannon called on Thursday for a “formal investigation of his immigration status, because I am of the strong belief that he is an illegal alien, and he should be deported from the country immediately.” Mr. Musk was born in South Africa and is now a US citizen. Mr. Bannon also called for an investigation into Mr. Musk’s drug use and his efforts to be briefed on classified information about military plans involving China.
In 2022, Trump called Musk a “b* artist” and claimed the billionaire had told him he voted for him. Musk said that Trump was not told to run for office. “I do not dislike the man, but it’s time for him to leave his hat on and sail away into the sunset,” he wrote.
The assassination attempt in Pennsylvania hadMusk endorsing Trump. “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk wrote on X minutes after the shooting.
August 2024Musk hosted an interview with Trump on X. After lengthy technical delays, the conversation largely followed the contours of Trump’s campaign speeches, and the two men both praised and talked past one another.
October 2024Musk hit the campaign trail with Trump. Wearing a custom black “Make America Great Again” hat, the billionaire addressed a rally in Butler, Penn., where he hopped around on stage, described himself as “dark MAGA,” and predicted “this will be the last election” if Trump were not to win.
Musk also took the stage at another Trump rally at Madison Square Garden in New York, and held a series of $1 million giveaways to voters in swing states.
Trump’s Mar-a-Lago was the location of the election night. The morning after, he celebrated by posting an apparently AI-generated image of himself saluting the American flag, captioned, “It is morning in America again.”
After Trump, Musk, and the Big Beautiful Bill: The slash and burn of the White House and the big beast of the Interior,” Musk tells Truth Social
Late 2024Trump announced Musk and former Republican presidential primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy would co-lead a “Department of Government Efficiency” focused on curbing federal spending. It wasn’t clear if the entity would exist inside or outside of the government.
The White House hired Musk as an advisor after the inauguration. The “special government employee” had a 130-working day clock. He quickly became the most visible face of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE — which, despite its name, is not an official congressionally-created federal department. The Trump administration tried to argue in court that Musk wasn’t the leader of the group.
“The people voted for major government reform, and that’s what people are going to get,” Musk told reporters. “They’re going to get what they voted for.”
Concerns were raised that Musk’s companies, which are regulated by some of the agencies the DOGE has targeted, created conflicts of interest.
Later in the month, Musk joined Trump’s first Cabinet meeting. Trump introduced Musk by saying the billionaire was “sacrificing a lot” through his government work.
“Is anybody unhappy with Musk’s slash and burn approach?” the journalist asked, according to Trump. His question was taken to be a joke.
The White House lawn became a temporary showroom for Tesla after Trump and Musk turned it over to them. Trump sat inside a red Model S with Musk and announced his intention to purchase aTesla, in a show of support amid a global backlash against Musk’s involvement in politics in Europe and the U.S.
Days later, Musk began railing against the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” saying it would drive up the federal budget deficit and undo the cost-cutting work of DOGE.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that he removed the EV Mandate from Elon because he knew for months he would do it, and he went crazy.
On Thursday, their disagreements over the Republican mega-bill advancing most of Trump’s biggest domestic policy priorities erupted into personal attacks, with the two men using their respective social media platforms to hurl insults.
He said Musk “knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody” and “never had a problem until right after he left.” Musk claimed that the bill was never shown to him.
“In the entire history of civilization, there has never been legislation that both big and beautiful,” Musk posted Thursday. Everyone is aware of this! Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill. Slim and beautiful is the way.”
Trump can hurt Musk if he needs breakup advice, or could he stop working in the US illegally? An analysis by Ashley St. Clair, an alleged baby mama with Trump, on Twitter
“They leave, and they wake up in the morning, and the glamor is gone. The whole world is different, and they become hostile, I don’t know what it is,” Trump said.
Without Musk’s help, Trump would have lost the election, Democrats would have control of the House and Republicans would be in the Senate.
May is over, but it seems the meltdowns are just beginning. Right now, we’re watching two men with leverage over each other fight with vague threats and public information. But that fight just keeps escalating, and the stakes could not be higher.
Also, an alleged member of Musk’s coterie of baby mamas has chosen to weigh in on Twitter. Ashley St. Clair, who is currently engaged in a paternity suit with Musk, wrote on X, “hey @realDonaldTrump lmk if u need any breakup advice.”
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are trying to subpoena Musk. Republicans had time to respond to the subpoena after Nancy Mace suspended the hearing. It is easy to imagine Musk being hauled in front of Congress should Trump demand it.
Who’s winning? Today, the stock ofTesla declined by 14 percent to $284.70. Trump can hurt Musk imminently, and not just with the spending bill. Musk, The Washington Post reported, began his career in the US by working here illegally. That could potentially complicate his naturalization and create grounds for the Trump government to strip him of his citizenship, and possibly even deport him back to South Africa. Would that be legal? It appears that ICE does not care.
Then, just after the market closed, Musk posted, “In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.” The SpaceX Dragon is used to fly cargo and crew to the International Space Station.
How bad is it to post about the deficit by a government contractor? An interview with Trump and Miavlin (@TheVerge)
I would question the use of “went” in that sentence but sure. That’s a pretty actionable threat. Who is keeping track at this point? It would probably fuck up what’s left of NASA in a pretty significant way, but whatever.
Now, both of these men are excellent at commanding attention, and this is a reality-TV squabble playing out on social media. It is cruel. The posting about the deficit by a government contractor serves up a good volley, as the business empire is extremely dependent on federal contracts. Trump spiked it.
He writes about technology, money and human behavior. She joined The Verge in 2014 as science editor. Previously, she was a reporter at Bloomberg.
