In the past 24-48 hours, the relationship between billionaire Tesla and X owner Elon Musk and United States President Donald Trump has seen a dramatic public deterioration, marked by a series of contentious posts and statements - each replying to eachother on their OWN social media platforms.
Musk posed on X (formerly Twitter, which he bought), while Trump made his replies through his social media platform Truth Social. What a time to be alive.
The escalating feud, centered around Musk's distaste of Trump's now passed tax bill (which is perceived to hurt his plans to rollout Robotaxi's nationwide), has seen significant disagreements and personal attacks, including an unsubstantiated claim by Musk regarding Trump's presence in the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Wall Street was in active trade as investors watch the feud boil, and by close, Tesla (NASDAQ : TSLA) stocks were down an eye-whopping 16%.
In late May/Early June Musk began public criticism of Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" following his departure from the “Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).”
This is what happened next…
Timeline of Musk/Trump spat (June 4-6, 2025)
Thursday, June 5, 2025 (Morning/Early Afternoon EST): Musk continues strong opposition to the bill, labeling it "outrageous," "pork-filled," and a "disgusting abomination." He urges public opposition and calls it the "Debt Slavery Bill."
He also reposts Trump's past tweets (2012/2013) criticising debt ceiling extensions and unbalanced budgets.
June 5, 2025 (Mid-Afternoon EST): "Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate," implying significant personal contribution to Trump's electoral success and expressing "Such ingratitude."
Followed by…
Thursday, June 5, 2025 (Late Afternoon EST): In a highly inflammatory tweet, Musk says Trump is in the Epstein files.
Thursday, June 5, 2025 (Evening EST): Musk publicly agrees with a suggestion to impeach Trump and replace him with Senator JD Vance.
Thursday, June 5, 2025 (Evening EST): Musk tweets that Trump's tariffs will cause a recession.
Thursday, June 5, 2025 (Evening EST): Musk refutes Trump's claim that he was aware of the bill's inner workings and its impact on EV mandates.
Thursday, June 5, 2025 (Mid-Afternoon EST): During a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump publicly expresses his "disappointment" with Musk, stating, “Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore”.
He suggests Musk was upset due to cuts in electric vehicle (EV) mandates within the bill, impacting Tesla's business, and that Musk "misses being in government" after leaving his role leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Thursday, June 5, 2025 (Late Afternoon/Evening EST): Trump staunchly defends the "Big Beautiful Bill," calling it "incredible" and "the biggest cut in the history of our country", asserting it would lead to significant tax reductions.
He pushes back on Musk's criticisms on Truth Social stating, “I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago".
Thursday, June 5, 2025 (Late Afternoon/Evening EST): Trump threatened to cut government subsidies and contracts with Musk's companies (Tesla, SpaceX) to which the latter replied:
Thursday, June 5, 2025 (Evening EST): Trump implies that Musk, like other former associates who turn critical, went crazy.
Thursday, June 5, 2025 (Evening EST): Trump asserts that he would have won key states like Pennsylvania "regardless of Elon's help", directly refuting Musk's claim of election influence.
