US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk engaged in a public feud on Thursday over the administration’s spending legislation, marking the collapse of their political partnership after the tech billionaire left his government efficiency role.
The dispute centred on Trump’s spending bill, which Musk called a “disgusting abomination” after departing the Department of Government Efficiency following 129 days in the position. Musk urged followers to contact representatives opposing the legislation.
Trump defended the bill during a news conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, stating he was “very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here.”
The president suggested Musk opposed the legislation due to electric vehicle subsidy cuts affecting his Tesla business. Musk denied this motivation, writing on X: “Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched, but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill.”
Musk escalated the confrontation by claiming credit for Trump’s election victory, posting: “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.”
Throughout Thursday, Musk amplified his criticism by reposting a message calling for Trump’s resignation, arguing the president’s global tariff strategy would trigger a US recession, and suggesting without evidence that Trump appears in unreleased files connected to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on sex trafficking charges and died by suicide whilst awaiting trial. Trump was president during that period and previously stated he knew Epstein “like everybody in Palm Beach knew him” but experienced a “falling out with him a long time ago.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt condemned Musk’s allegations, stating: “This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted.”
Trump responded on Truth Social, claiming Musk “just went CRAZY” and suggesting: “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!”
Musk threatened to decommission SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, used for International Space Station missions, before retreating from the threat hours later following social media pressure.
Tesla shares declined 14% within hours of the public dispute. Both figures later indicated willingness to reconcile, with Trump telling Politico the relationship was “going very well” and aides scheduling a Friday phone call.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the spending bill will increase national debt by $2.4 trillion over 10 years and leave 11 million people without government-backed health insurance. The White House disputes these projections, citing tariff revenue offsets.
Musk’s partnership with Trump began following his July endorsement after a Pennsylvania assassination attempt. The Tesla chief reportedly contributed $290 million to Trump’s election campaign.
During his efficiency role, Musk implemented mass layoffs and eliminated departments including the US Agency for International Development. The department claims $180 billion in savings, below Musk’s initial $2 trillion target.
A Boston University study found that an estimated 300,000 people, including over 200,000 children, have died globally following the cuts in USAID.
The abrupt halt in aid, initiated in January 2025 under the Trump administration resulted in the suspension of over 80% of USAID’s $42 billion budget. This suspension affected critical programmes addressing HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, malnutrition, and access to clean water.
Nichols’ model estimates that the cessation of aid has led to a death every three minutes, primarily from preventable conditions such as diarrhea, pneumonia, and malnutrition. The model also projects that if the funding freeze continues, additional deaths from HIV and tuberculosis could reach 176,000 and 62,000 respectively by the end of 2025.
The cuts have also led to the closure of numerous clinics, particularly in Africa, severely impacting access to family planning services and treatments for infectious diseases. More than $12 million worth of U.S. government-purchased contraceptives and HIV-prevention drugs are now in limbo, with some supplies nearing expiration.
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