Just over six months ago, Fast Company asked: “How long will Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s lovefest last?”
Well, we have our answer.
This week, tensions escalated between the two over Trump’s proposed “One Big Beautiful Bill” aimed at cutting taxes, which Musk derided as a “disgusting abomination.” Their disagreement deepened over electric vehicle mandates, which Musk strongly supports.
During a White House photo op, the president expressed that he was “very disappointed” with Musk’s response, threatened to cancel federal contracts held by Musk’s companies, and claimed he had asked Musk to leave his administration—a claim Musk denies.
Musk has been no less turbulent in handling the breakup. First he mocked Trump’s tax bill as a “disgusting abomination.” Then he claimed, “Without me, Trump would have lost the election,” accusing the president of showing “such ingratitude” after Musk allegedly bankrolled large parts of his presidential campaign—contributing a reported quarter of a billion dollars. And, of course, there’s Musk’s 130-day stint as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a position he left in recent weeks.
Musk then took a more personal turn, alleging without evidence that the president is named in the controversial “Epstein Files”—documents related to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein—and suggesting that Trump’s inclusion is the reason the records have not been released. “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out,” he added.
Trump, for his part, was taking no prisoners on social media. “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!” the president posted on Truth Social. In response, Musk announced that SpaceX would begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft—on which NASA is heavily reliant—“immediately.”
This all—in case you’re wondering—occurred over the course of a few hours. Short seller Jim Chaos has reportedly called it the “most predictable breakup ever.” Wedbush Securities principal analyst Dan Ives said the rift was “jaw-dropping and a shock to the market, and putting major fear for Tesla investors on what is ahead.”
Neither Musk nor the White House responded to Fast Company’s requests for comment. But after such a dramatic fallout, both men may be questioning whether their short-lived bromance was worth it. The real question now is: Who will emerge the least battered and bruised?
Trump’s connection with Musk has hurt his image among many who believe he’s become a puppet of the South African entrepreneur. Musk’s comment that Trump was not grateful for his support only reinforces that perception. Trump is also left with the challenge of what to do about DOGE, says Merici Vinton, a former U.S. Digital Service official.
“The driving force behind DOGE was power to Musk and his friends, not the people,” she says. “With Elon and Trump’s breakup, every DOGE teammate remaining inside of government is loyal to Musk, and DOGE is now a national security threat.”
As for Musk, his electric vehicle company Tesla is grappling with a sharp decline in global sales as consumers grow disillusioned with his combative approach to government. The company’s stock has fallen 15% in a single day amid Musk’s public feud with Trump on social media—and continues to drop. More than $150 billion has been wiped from Tesla’s market value due to the spat.
The tax bill Musk so strongly opposes, if passed, could saddle his companies with billions in additional costs. And with every incendiary tweet, the likelihood of his companies’ federal contracts being canceled only increases.
“I don’t think anything Musk has done in the last year has been worth it for him,” says Steven Buckley, who researches U.S. politics and social media at City St. George’s, University of London. “In less than a year Musk has pissed off all Democrats, wasted millions of dollars on various state elections, trashed what positive branding Tesla had, and now has seemingly generated a large rift within the Republican caucus.”
Buckley notes that the only silver lining for Musk in his association with Trump—the potential for favorable government contracts—now appears to be in serious jeopardy, with Trump himself threatening to revoke them. In the long term, Musk’s reputation may have taken a lasting hit.
“No sane Democrat will want to work with or give contracts to Musk’s businesses in the future,” Buckley says. “And it seems there will now be many Republicans thinking the same as well.”
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