The feud between President Trump and Elon Musk grew exponentially more bitter on Thursday.
The two exchanged volleys of insults that reached their pinnacle – or nadir, depending upon one’s perspective – when Musk alleged that files on the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein were being kept secret to protect Trump.
The fissure between the two men now yawns wide, less than a week after Musk officially left his position spearheading the quasi-official Department of Government Efficiency.
In the intervening days, Musk had become bolder in expressing his dissent over the enormous budget and tax cut bill currently making its way through Congress. Trump refers to that legislation as the “Big Beautiful Bill.” It is the centerpiece of his Capitol Hill agenda.
But Thursday brought a far more acrimonious and personal tone to the exchanges
Here are the five big takeaways.
Musk really “went there” on Trump and Epstein
Musk’s social media posts about Trump and Epstein, the wealthy serial sex offender who killed himself in murky circumstances in 2019, was a jaw-dropping shot at the president.
It’s well-known that Trump was acquainted Epstein. On Thursday, Musk also took the opportunity to remind his followers of Trump’s quote in a New York Magazine profile of Epstein more than two decades ago. “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side,” Trump said.
But Musk’s intervention gave new wings to lurid speculation. Musk alleged that Trump’s name “is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.” A follow-up tweet suggesting marking the original post “for the future. The truth will come out.”
It bears emphasizing that there is no proof that Trump’s connection to Epstein involved nefarious activity on the future president’s part.
But Musk’s willingness to inject the story back into the national conversations – amplifying it to his 220 million followers with a gleeful, “Have a nice day, DJT!” – will cause real unease in Trump World.
Musk’s insistence in a separate post that Trump would have lost last year’s election to then-Vice President Harris if it were not for his help will also enrage Trump. So too will his online poll as to whether a new party should be formed.
There are big dangers for Musk too
The clash between Trump and Musk seized the public imagination with its sheer melodrama.
But it also matters because each of them has real power to hurt the other.
If proof were needed, it was plainly visible on the stock market. The bottom fell out of Tesla stock, with shares in the electric vehicle manufacturer plunging more than 14 percent.
Tesla already faced big challenges because many buyers – especially those of a more liberal disposition – had been turned off by Musk’s work for Trump.
Now it risks being buffeted by currents from the other direction.
Trump, in remarks earlier Thursday at a White House meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, had blamed Musk’s public displeasure on legislative proposals that would strip away tax incentives to buy electric vehicles.
Musk vehemently denies that this is the reason for his break with Trump.
But Trump’s propensity to seek vengeance on those who he believes have crossed him makes it very plausible that Musk’s companies will have a target on their backs.
The political impact will be greatest with the online right
The politics of Musk’s split with Trump are somewhat complicated.
First, Musk himself is unpopular with the general public. Opinion polling consistently shows him performing worse in terms of favorability than Trump, himself an extremely divisive figure.
To that extent, it’s possible to argue that Musk’s fusillades at Trump, if they continue, could wear thin with the public and even rebound to some benefit for Trump. There were already some signs by late Thursday afternoon of Trump-friendly media figures turning against the businessman.
But that’s not the full story.
Musk is exceptionally popular, even idolized, by many on what might be loosely termed the online right. These younger, overwhelmingly male, right-wing populists revere Musk not only for his business achievements but for his rhetorical bombardments against “wokeness.”
Musk could wound Trump deeply among that constituency, which has previously been supportive of the president.
There is already evidence of this.
Right-wing influencer Ian Miles Cheong, who has 1.2 million followers on X, tweeted at 3:50pm that “my money’s on Elon” in the battle between Musk and Trump.
Cheong also asserted, “Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should replace him.
Less than 30 minutes later, Musk retweeted Cheong adding one word: “Yes.”
Will Musk’s fusillades sink the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’?
Amid all the personal Trump-Musk drama, it was easy to lose sight of the fact that the fuse of this bomb began burning over the spending bill.
Musk’s spectacular falling-out with Trump might make some congressional Republicans more willing to voice their exasperation with Musk. This irritation has been building for some time.
But Musk is still training plenty of fire on the bill itself – a stance that is sure to disconcert GOP leaders.
In a series of social media posts, Musk targeted not just Trump but also Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), resurfacing past comments where they lamented the dangers of letting government spending spiral out of control.
The budget bill in its current form is projected to add $2.4 trillion to the deficit over 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
Musk, in characteristically fiery style, contended in one of his Thursday afternoon postings that “Congress is spending America into bankruptcy!”
The GOP on Capitol Hill is overall far more loyal to Trump than to Musk.
But it’s eminently possible that Musk could peel off enough Republican members to sink the bill.
Is anybody really surprised?
No.
A rupture between two of the most fractious and egocentric men in public life had been widely forecast since the birth of their alliance.
And so it came to pass.
The flaming comet of enmity that streaked through the national conversation on Tuesday was spectacular.
It was far from surprising.
