The union between Donald Trump and Elon Musk — the leader of the world’s richest country and the world’s richest man — seemed like the perfect match. But the past ten days have turned that relationship into a bitter feud. These are the public moments that brought the end.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 28. In an interview with CBS News, Musk criticizes Trump’s plans for a new tax and spending bill, saying the bill has “disappointed” him. Trump later tells reporters that he is “not happy with some aspects” of the bill, but is “happy” with other parts, such as the tax cuts. He did not comment directly on Musk’s statements.
THURSDAY, MAY 29. Musk announces he will leave the Trump administration after his tenure as special government employee ends. He had led a cost-cutting mission known as the Department of Government Efficiency (DoGE).
ELON MUSK: “As my term as Special Government Employee comes to an end, I want to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce unnecessary spending. The @DOGE mission will only grow stronger over time, becoming a way of life across government.”
DONALD TRUMP: “Tomorrow, at 13:30 PM EST, I will be holding a press conference with Elon Musk, in the Oval Office. This will be his last day, but not really, because he will always be with us, helping us every step of the way. Elon is fantastic! See you tomorrow at the White House.”
FRIDAY, MAY 30. Trump praises Musk as he appears with a black eye at a news conference on his last day in the White House. “It’s like he never left,” the president says, adding that Musk will continue to be at the White House “from time to time.”
MONDAY, JUNE 2. Trump defends his “big, beautiful bill” on Truth Social, saying that “a lot of false statements are being made” about this economic policy.
TUESDAY, JUNE 3. Musk attacks Trump’s bill again, calling it “too big, outrageous, full of unnecessary expenses” and “a shameful abomination” in a post on X. In American politics, “pork” refers to politicians’ spending on local projects. This marks the beginning of an escalation of Musk’s statements on social media.
ELON MUSK: “I’m sorry, but I just can’t take it anymore. This huge, outrageous, and wasteful Congressional bill is a shameful abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it well.”
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 13:57 PM LOCAL. Musk calls for a new spending bill that “does not massively increase the deficit and does not raise the debt ceiling.”
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 14:50 PM. Musk urges his followers to call their representatives to oppose Trump’s bill.
ELON MUSK: Call your Senator! Call your Congress! Bankrupting America is not OK! Repeal the Law!
THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 11:20 AM. Musk quotes some old Trump posts on X (from 2012 and 2013) where he criticized government spending.
THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 12:00 PM. In the Oval Office, next to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump says he and Musk “had” a great relationship, but “I don’t know if we’ll have it anymore.” He adds that Musk is “upset” because the planned bill would cut subsidies for electric cars, affecting Musk’s companies, Tesla and SpaceX. Trump: “I’m very disappointed in Elon.”
THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 12:19 PM. Musk responds in real time on X, refuting Trump’s claims. “Whatever they say…. Keep the electric car/solar stimulus cuts in the bill, even though oil and gas subsidies are not touched at all (so unfair!!), but remove the MOUNTAIN of UNNECESSARY SPENDING from the bill. In the entire history of civilization, there has never been a bill that was both big and beautiful. Everyone knows that! You either have a big and ugly bill or a thin and beautiful bill. Thin and beautiful is the way to go.”
THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 12:24 PM. At the White House, Trump tells reporters that Musk knew “every aspect of the bill” and that he is “very disappointed in Elon.”
THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 12:25 PM. “Lies,” Musk writes on X. “This bill was never shown to me and was passed late at night, so quickly that almost no one in Congress has read it!”
THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 12:44 PM. Musk brings up old Trump posts on X, where he criticized the US budget deficit. “Where is this man today??” he asks.
THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 12:46 PM. Musk’s response to a commenter on X: “Without me, Trump would have lost the election.” He adds: “What ingratitude.”
THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 13:44 PM. Musk claims on X that “the big, embarrassing bill will INCREASE the deficit to $2.5 trillion.”
THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 13:49 PM. Musk continues to quote old Trump tweets about government spending. He asks, “Where is the man who wrote these words? Has he been replaced by a clone?”
THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 13:57 PM. “Is it time to create a new political party in America that represents the 80% of people in the middle?” Musk asks in a poll on X.
THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 14:37 PM. Trump begins posting on Truth Social, saying Musk “became unbearable” so he removed him from the White House, and accusing him of “losing his mind.” Musk calls this “a blatant lie.” In another post, Trump says: “The easiest way to save money in our Budget is to cut subsidies and government contracts for Elon.”
THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 15:10 PM. Musk accuses without evidence that Trump is mentioned in the “Epstein files,” referring to court documents about pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 16:06 PM. On Truth Social, Trump says he doesn’t mind “Elon turning against me” and continues to defend his bill.
THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 16:09 PM. Responding to Trump’s suggestion that he might terminate government contracts with Musk’s companies, the latter says he will “immediately deactivate” the Dragon spacecraft.
THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 16:11 PM. Musk appears to support the idea of impeaching Trump, citing a conspiracy theorist who shared the claims about the Epstein files.
THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 16:26 PM. Musk attacks another Trump policy – trade tariffs – posting on X that they “will cause a recession in the second half of this year.”
THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 21:27 PM. Musk softens his tone, tweeting to another billionaire Trump supporter, Bill Ackman: “You’re not wrong,” after Ackman called for the pair to “come together for the good of our country.”
FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 08:05 AM. Trump describes Musk as “a man who has lost his mind” in an interview with ABC News and says he has “no particular desire” to speak with him. The White House tells the BBC that Trump has no plans to speak with the tech billionaire that day, despite reports that they would speak on the phone later. CBS also reports that Trump is considering selling his Tesla — which he bought to help Musk promote his company.
