Gambiaj.com – (WASHINGTON, DC) – The simmering tension between President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk exploded in public Thursday as the two clashed bitterly over a Republican spending bill that Musk has described as a “disgusting abomination.”
Speaking alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during a meeting in the Oval Office, Trump expressed disappointment at Musk’s criticism, saying, “I’m very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill. I’ve helped Elon a lot.”
The president suggested that Musk, a once-close adviser and top campaign donor, was angered by the bill’s elimination of a key tax credit for electric vehicles. “Elon’s upset because we took the EV mandate, which was a lot of money for electric vehicles, and they’re having a hard time with electric vehicles, and they want us to pay billions of dollars in subsidy,” Trump said.
Musk’s response was swift and fiery. Initially brushing off Trump’s comments online with a curt “whatever,” Musk quickly escalated, claiming that Trump owed his 2024 re-election victory to him. “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, the Dems would control the House, and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” Musk posted. “Such ingratitude.”
Musk’s relationship with the White House, once characterized by mutual praise, has deteriorated rapidly in recent weeks. Musk served in Trump’s administration as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, where he pushed aggressive spending cuts but ultimately fell short of his target to slash $2 trillion from the federal budget. Musk left the administration last week.
The Tesla CEO’s vocal opposition to the Republican bill, which narrowly passed the House, has rattled GOP leaders. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Musk had done a “180” on the measure and ignored his calls after Musk publicly denounced it.
The bill would extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, eliminate taxes on tips and overtime, boost military and immigration enforcement spending, and make deep cuts to Medicaid and food assistance programs. However, the Congressional Budget Office warned it would add $2.4 trillion to the national debt over the next decade.
Tesla’s fortunes have suffered as Musk has ramped up his political attacks. The company’s stock has dropped more than 20% this year, a slump exacerbated by Musk’s clashes with the administration and global competition in the electric vehicle market.
While Trump praised Musk last week as a transformative figure in government, his comments Thursday were his harshest yet. Musk, who once referred to himself as Trump’s “first buddy,” has said he plans to scale back his political donations in future elections, telling Bloomberg, “I think I’ve done enough.”
The public fallout between Trump and Musk underscores the shifting alliances in Washington, where political loyalty can prove fleeting, even for the world’s richest man.
