Donald Trump Jr. and Elon Musk seemed inseparable during the 2024 presidential campaign and the first five months of the second Trump administration. Musk served as a special government employee spearheading the controversial Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE with the goal of reducing federal spending. He was also one of the top campaign donors of Trump during the 2024 campaign period.
However, beginning in June 2025, his online rhetoric marked an obvious shift in sentiments. Musk slammed the federal spending bill. It is worth noting that Musk ended his role at DOGE and was somewhat out of the limelight around May 2025. Trump expressed his disappointment with Musk and has threatened to cut off the federal contracts of SpaceX. The two have since been embroiled in tirades and meme wars.
Important Details in the Relationship Fall Out Between Donald Trump and Elon Musk
Disagreement Over the Federal Spending Bill
The visible cause of the Trump-Musk falling out could be traced to the federal spending bill. The second Trump administration dubbed this tax-and-spending package passed by the House in May 2025 the “One Big Beautiful Bill” because it promises to bring forth bold and transformative achievements. Trump also promoted it as a cornerstone of his economic agenda.
Musk slammed the bill and called it a “disgusting abomination” for increasing the federal deficit and undermining efforts to reduce government waste. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill would increase the deficit by approximately USD 3 trillion over the next decade. The bill also eliminated USD 7500 EV tax credit which was critical for Tesla.
Previous Clashes With Admin Members
Remember that Musk spearheaded DOGE. He had an aggressive approach to slashing bureaucracy and federal budget. This led to conflicts with senior administration officials. Notable ones include Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant and. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Musk also publicly called trade adviser Peter Navarro a “moron” due to his role in implementing Trump tariffs.
The conflicts between Musk and Trump administration officials might not be a direct cause of the emerging Trump-Musk word war but these could have contributed to the relationship fallout. It is also worth mentioning that these conflicts also demonstrate a difference in policy positions. Musk has been vocal about his stances and has also expressed some of his non-negotiables.
Business Ramification and Personal Frustrations
Musk has earned a wave of criticisms while heading DOGE. These criticisms translated to actual actions against his business. Protesters in the U.S. and around the world attacked Tesla dealerships and even parked Tesla vehicles. The stock price of the company plummeted a couple of times due to uncertainties. Tesla also faced a 71 percent decrease in its Q1 2025 profit.
There was an attempt by Trump to salvage Tesla. This was evident from how he paraded Tesla vehicles in front of the White House. However, considering the EV tax cuts in the federal spending bill, and despite how Musk has denied that he does not care about the tax cuts, what is clear is that there is a need to revamp the image of Tesla and disassociate Musk from Trump.
Conspiracy Theories Involving Thiel
There is a circulating theory that Musk and Peter Thiel of Palantir Technologies are working to overthrow Trump with the goal of installing Vice President JD Vance. Some chatters noted that this connivance is part of an alleged techno-libertarian agenda that aims to reshape the U.S. into a society with minimal government regulation and heightened tech dominance.
No evidence supports the aforementioned conspiracy theory. It is still worth mentioning that Musk has called for the impeachment of Trump and suggested forming a new centrist political party. He also posted on X how his efforts made Trump win the election. Musk further claimed that Trump is included in the scandalous files of notorious child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
FURTHER READINGS AND REFERENCES
- Alexander, S. and Tarabay, J. 7 March 2025. “Peter Thiel’s Deep Ties to Trump’s Top Ranks.” Bloomberg. Available online
- Lau, S. 2025. “Trump-Musk Relationship Implodes with Insults and Threats.” BBC. Available online
- Sommerlad, J. 4 June 2025. “Four Key Reasons for the Downfall of Trump and Musk’s Presidential Bromance.” The Independent. Available online
- Wiggins, C. 3 February 2025. “How Elon Musk & Peter Thiel-aligned Inexperienced Tech Bros Took Over the Federal Government.” Yahoo! News. Available online