MUSK-TRUMP FEUD DESCENDS INTO EMBARASSING SPECTACLE. Maybe Elon Musk’s escalating attacks on President Donald Trump, and Trump’s increasingly irritated responses, were funny for a few minutes, given that the two had been best buddies just days ago. But the battle quickly sank into ugliness on Thursday. The display will not do any good for either the president or Musk, but it will delight Democrats, progressives, the Resistance, lawfare warriors, assorted Never Trumpers, and their many allies in the media.
How else to react to Musk appearing to endorse calls to impeach Trump? First Musk tweeted, “Time to drop the really big bomb: Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!” Then Musk added another tweet for emphasis: “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.” Then, a Malaysia-based right-wing social media influencer named Ian Miles Cheong picked up Musk’s tweet and added, “President vs. Elon. Who wins? My money’s on Elon. Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should replace him.” And then, with impeachment on the Twitter table, Musk replied simply: “Yes.”
You remember that Musk started the festivities Tuesday by calling Trump’s top legislative priority, the so-called Big Beautiful Bill, “a disgusting abomination,” adding “shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong.” Trump did not respond until he was asked by reporters during an Oval Office meeting on Thursday.
“Elon and I had a great relationship,” Trump said. “I don’t know if we will any more.” Trump said Musk’s unhappiness with the Big Beautiful Bill stems from the fact that it would put an end to generous taxpayer-paid subsidies for the electric vehicle industry, like Musk’s Tesla. “Elon’s upset because we took the EV mandate, which was a lot of money for electric vehicles,” Trump said. “I’m very disappointed, because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill. … He had no problem with it … all of a sudden he had a problem, and he only developed a problem when he found out that we’re going to have to cut the EV mandate, because that’s billions and billions of dollars.”
Speaking without apparent anger, Trump also noted that Musk campaigned extensively for him in Pennsylvania, but added, “I would have won Pennsylvania easily anyway.” That set off Musk, who showed a bit of grandiosity when he responded, “Without me, Trump would have lost the election.” Then: “Such ingratitude.”
Things went downhill from there, to Jeffrey Epstein and beyond. Trump was taking the relatively high road when he pressed his point, in posts on Truth Social, that Musk was motivated by business. “Elon was ‘wearing thin,’” Trump posted. “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!”
Later, Trump tried to keep attention on the Big Beautiful Bill. “I don’t mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago,” Trump wrote. “This is one of the greatest bills ever presented to Congress. … This puts our country on a path of greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
So what to make of this? Go back to the bill, now the subject of intense activity on Capitol Hill. In the big picture, it is the embodiment of Trump’s first and second terms. It would make permanent the top legislative achievement of the first term — the tax cuts. It would fulfill the premier unkept promise of the first campaign — the border wall. It would make good on promises from the 2024 campaign — no tax on tips. It is one long expression of Trump’s priorities. Which makes it extraordinary that Musk, at this late moment, decided to do everything he can to kill it. But that is what Musk did.
Now, what are Trump and Republicans supposed to do? Yes, Musk is very rich. But — and this seems so obvious it should not need to be said — the president of the United States is much, much bigger. Millions of people voted for Donald Trump in 2016, 2020, and 2024. He has a bond with many of those supporters that is so strong it is sometimes hard to fully comprehend. And Trump is supposed to throw that out to placate Elon Musk? Come on.
Trump gave Musk influence and opportunities that, even with all his wealth, Musk would never otherwise have had. And now Musk is doing this. Perhaps you agree with the fiscal principles Musk says he is upholding, although it is not clear precisely what legislation Musk would propose in the place of the current bill. But who could support a continuing role of any sort for Musk in the Trump presidency now?
Judging only by his public life, Musk has moments of erratic behavior. Maybe this is one of them. Maybe he will take a more sober view of things later. But he has done what he has done, and there is no going back.