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Donald Trump’s relationship with Elon Musk has hit an all-time low following the Tesla CEO’s criticism of the US President’s new “Big, Beautiful Bill”.
The altercation between the “besties” began late last month when the tech billionaire, in an interview, said that he was “disappointed” to see the bill.
“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing. I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don’t know if it can be both,” Musk said, while speaking to CBS News.
A few days later, Musk announced his exit from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), sparking a rift that escalated when he called the Americans to tell their representatives in Washington to “kill the bill” after describing it as a “disgusting abomination”.
In no time, once Trump’s staunch ally turned his “disloyal foe”, whom he warned of “serious consequences” if he proceeded with plans to fund Democratic candidates opposing Republicans who support the GOP’s sweeping tax-cut bill.
The dramatic shift is not the first instance between the “frenemies” as in 2016, Musk publicly said that Trump was not fit to run for the US President.
A look at Musk and Trump’s topsy-turvy relationship and how it transformed before the ultimate fallout:
2016
Musk in an interview with CNBC, expressed his disapproval of the then Republican candidate stating, “I feel a bit stronger that he is not the right guy. He doesn’t seem to have the sort of character that reflects well on the United States,” throwing his weight behind Trump’s presidential rival Hillary Clinton.
2017
However, it didn’t take a month for Musk to change his mind as after Trump won the 2016 presidential elections, the tech mogul was appointed to an economic advisory council along with Uber CEO Travis Kalanick.
Later, their relationship witnessed turbulent times when Trump decided to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accords.
Musk publicly voiced his disapproval, stating, “Am departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world.”
2022
In 2022, Trump called Musk a “great guy” and one of the world’s “great geniuses”, likening him to Thomas Edison.
“You know, we have to protect Thomas Edison and we have to protect all of these people that came up with originally the light bulb and the wheel and all of these things. And he’s one of our very smart people and we want to cherish those people,” said Trump in an interview with CNBC.
2023
Musk aligned his support with Trump’s policies and openly backed US border wall with Mexico, which was the focus point at the time of the election campaign.
“We actually do need a wall, and we need to require people to have some shred of evidence to claim asylum to enter, as everyone is doing that…,” Musk said.
March 2024
In March 2024, Musk declared that he would not make donations to candidates in the US presidential elections. However, it didn’t take him long to flip his stance.
July 2024
Months later, going back on his words, the tech billionaire donated over a quarter of a billion dollars to Trump’s reelection bid after the then Republican candidate narrowly escaped an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
August 2024
Musk hosted Trump for a conversation on his social media platform X, where he suggested that the then Republican candidate should come up with a commission that primarily focuses on “government efficiency” and affirmed his commitment to serve in it.
Days later, Musk, in a post on X, said, “I am willing to serve.”
September 2024
Trump declared that if he emerges victorious in the US presidential elections, he would set up a government efficiency commission, which would be helmed by Musk.
October 2024
Musk joined Trump onstage for his rally at the site where Trump escaped an assassination attempt, donning a black “Make America Great Again” cap.
November 2024
The tech billionaire spent the election night at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida to witness and celebrate a sweeping Republican victory in the presidential elections.
On November 16, Trump, alongside Musk, witnessed SpaceX’s Starship launch.
January 2025
Musk attended Trump’s inauguration in Washington DC, where the newly elected US president said that he would “pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts who plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars”.
The tech giant, in a social media post on X, shared his approval of Trump’s second term, stating, “The Return of the King.”
February 2025
Musk went to the Oval Office with his son to mark Trump’s signing of an executive order seeking to shrink the size of government through “large-scale reductions” in the federal workforce.
March 2025
Trump, in a bold statement of support for Musk, bought a sleek red Tesla, stating that he bought the car at full price, without any discount.
“Musk would give me a discount, but if I do a discount, they’re gonna say, Oh, I got benefits,” he said.
“When I saw what was happening, I said that I want to buy a Tesla, and we just went to the front. He (Elon Musk) had four beautiful cars there, and I bought one in front of the press. It was a very public purchase, and they’re beautiful and do a great job,” he said.
Trump then called Musk a “patriot” and said, “He’s done a great job… It’s not that he’s a Republican… Sometimes, I’m not even sure what he is in terms of his philosophy, but he’s a great guy.”
The move came after Musk’s Tesla faced boycotts and plummeting stocks amid controversy surrounding his moves as Trump’s aide.
April 2025
The Tesla CEO vowed to “significantly” reduce his involvement in DOGE over the coming weeks.
May 2025
Musk stepped down from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after criticising Trump’s newly introduced ‘Big, Beautiful’ spending bill.
June 2025
The tech mogul sharply criticised the US president’s spending bill, stating that it would further blow up federal budget deficits.
“Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it,” he wrote on his social media platform X.
The criticism rapidly devolved into a heated exchange between the two, with both sides trading sharp barbs for several hours.
The spat turned ugly to an extent with Trump saying, “Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore.”
In a blistering rebuttal, Musk said, “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.”
He also floated the idea of launching a new political party that “actually represents the 80% in the middle.” Trump, for his part, hinted at retaliation by threatening to cancel Musk’s government contracts.
Responding to the allegations from Musk, Trump in a post on Truth Social wrote, “I don’t mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago.”
Musk, on his part, however, deleted his controversial tweet claiming “Trump is in the Epstein files” on Saturday, signalling a possible attempt to dial down the tension.
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