The Trump-Elon bromance is over

The Elon-Trump bromance may have breathed its last today, with their relationship descending into a social-media flame war – on their respective apps, of course.

The source of the discord is Musk’s opposition to the “Big, Beautiful Bill” presently being debated in the Senate, which, among other things, does not codify the cuts his Department of Government Efficiency had made since Trump’s inauguration. The bill also strips away Biden-era tax credits for consumers who purchase electric vehicles, which had been benefiting Musk’s firm Tesla.

Musk took his grievances to his over 200 million X followers and, let’s face it, everyone else on the app too. On Tuesday Musk wrote, “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.” This followed a CBS interview at the weekend in which Musk said, “I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don’t know if it can be both.”

In subsequent posts, Musk called for the firing of “all politicians who betrayed the American people,” reasoning the bill’s spending levels will lead to “debt slavery” for the American people.

Trump responded to Musk’s BBB denouncement to reporters in the Oval Office Thursday, during a bilateral meeting with Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz. “He’s worn the hat – ‘Trump was right about everything,’ and I am right about the great Big, Beautiful Bill,” the President said. He added that he and Elon “had” a great relationship, but explained that after the tirade, he’s not sure the friendship will continue.

Trump then blasted Musk on Truth Social right after the bilateral meeting. “Elon was ‘wearing thin,’ 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!” the President wrote.

He followed up with a solution for cutting more out of the spending bill: “to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”

Musk took a moment this afternoon to claim that Trump’s victory in November came largely because of his $288 million donation. “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” he wrote. “Such ingratitude.” He also offered what was, in his own words, a “really big bomb.” Tagging the President, he wrote, “@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!” Musk then quote-tweeted a post saying, “President vs Elon. Who wins? My money’s on Elon. Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should replace him.” “Yes,” wrote Musk.

Ashley St. Clair, mother of Musk’s 14th and most recent child, posted Thursday afternoon, “hey @realDonaldTrump lmk if u need any breakup advice.”

Several anti-BBB senators also found themselves pulled into the ring. On Wednesday, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky refuted Trump’s praise of the bill for making the 2017 tax cuts permanent. “Unfortunately, that’s not the reality with this bill. It includes the largest increase of the debt ceiling ever and will have the United States borrowing $5T over the next 2 years. This bill is the opposite of conservative, and we should not pass it,” he wrote. Musk reposted Paul’s statement and wrote, “💯.”

Musk only departed his unpaid, special government position at the Department of Government Efficiency on Friday, when all appeared to be well. Trump praised him as “one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced,” thanked him for his late-nights of service, for bearing the brunt of the anti-Elon movement and gave him a (fake) golden key to the White House. Karoline Leavitt and Margo Martin from the Trump press shop posed in the red Tesla Model S Elon had gifted the President. Back in February, Musk was posting things such as, “I love @realDonaldTrump as much as a straight man can love another man.” All that seems aeons ago now.

It’s easy to get caught up in the high-drama maelstrom of posts between the bickering billionaires. But this week’s fallout could also result in a deeper fracture between the tech bros who went public with their Trump support last summer and the old MAGA loyalists who have been on the Trump train since 2015. How uncomfortable could time in Trumpworld become for the likes of crypto czar David Sacks, AI policy advisor Sriram Krishnan or influential DoGE advisor Marc Andreessen? For all of DoGE’s accounting efforts, the tech wing of MAGA coalition could find itself a victim of the LIFO Method: last in, first out. Unless a peace is brokered of course: “Broooos please noooooo 🫂 We love you both so much,” tweeted Kanye West just now. Perhaps an unlikely diplomat…