The alliance between President Trump and Elon Musk went up in flames Thursday, days after the world’s richest man left the administration and tried to wield his affect to kill an enormous funds invoice that’s central to enacting the president’s prime legislative priorities.
Their spat performed out in public and marked one other outstanding flip for Musk, who spent tens of tens of millions on Mr. Trump’s reelection marketing campaign and was given the reins to slash the scale of the federal authorities.
Right here’s a glance again at how Mr. Trump and Musk bought right here:
Trump “not the right guy,” Musk says in 2016
The Tesla CEO praised Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s financial and environmental insurance policies as “the right ones” in an interview with CNBC earlier than the 2016 election.
“I feel a bit stronger that he is not the right guy,” Musk mentioned of Mr. Trump on the time. “He doesn’t seem to have the sort of character that reflects well on the United States.”
“I don’t think this is the finest moment in our democracy,” Musk added.
Musk joins — and quits — Trump administration roles
Shortly after Mr. Trump’s first time period started, Musk joined a handful of White Home advisory boards, together with Mr. Trump’s “manufacturing jobs council.”
However Musk left these roles simply months later, citing Mr. Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Local weather Accords.
“Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world,” Musk tweeted in June 2017.
Musk continued to have a detailed relationship with the federal authorities, nevertheless, as his rocket firm SpaceX has billions in contracts with NASA and different businesses.
Mr. Trump praised Musk at a 2020 SpaceX launch in Florida, saying at one level: “I speak to him all the time. Great guy. He’s one of our great brains. We like great brains. And Elon has done a fantastic job.”
President Trump talks with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on the White Home on Feb. 3, 2017.
Evan Vucci / AP
Musk sours on Democrats in 2022 — however nonetheless feuds with Trump
In Might 2022, Musk mentioned he was ending his help for Democrats as a result of “they have become the party of division & hate.”
“So I can no longer support them and will vote Republican,” Musk tweeted, later including that he voted for Clinton in 2016 and former President Joe Biden in 2020.
However simply two months later, Musk recommended he didn’t help Mr. Trump launching one other run for the White Home amid a public spat with the then-former president over the course of a number of days in July 2022. Mr. Trump known as the Tesla CEO a “b—s— artist” at a rally and mentioned his corporations could be “worthless” with out federal backing, whereas Musk tweeted Mr. Trump ought to “hang up his hat & sail into the sunset.”
Later in 2022, Musk bought Twitter, now generally known as X, and shortly reinstated Mr. Trump’s account, which had been suspended because the assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The reinstatement got here 4 days after Mr. Trump introduced his third run for the presidency after shedding to Biden.
Within the Republican presidential main, Musk initially threw his help behind one in every of Mr. Trump’s rivals, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. In Might 2023, the billionaire and the Floridian appeared collectively on a glitchy Twitter livestream to launch DeSantis’ marketing campaign.
Musk endorses Trump in 2024, wields affect
The tech billionaire formally endorsed Mr. Trump on July 13, 2024, moments after Mr. Trump survived an assassination try at a marketing campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk wrote alongside video of the bloodied presidential candidate elevating his fist within the air as he was surrounded by Secret Service brokers.
Musk joined Mr. Trump on the marketing campaign path and spent roughly $277 million to assist elect him and different Republican candidates, largely by means of a Musk-backed tremendous PAC known as America PAC, marketing campaign finance information present.
Mr. Trump shouted Musk out throughout his election evening victory speech: “A star is born,” Mr. Trump mentioned. “He’s an amazing guy.”
Earlier than Mr. Trump was inaugurated for a second time period, Musk used his political affect in December 2024 to whip up outrage in opposition to a bipartisan spending invoice and torpedo it days earlier than a possible authorities shutdown.
Elon Musk jumps on the stage as President Trump speaks at a marketing campaign rally on the Butler Farm Present on Oct. 5, 2024 in Butler, Pa.
Evan Vucci / AP
Musk joins Trump administration, spearheading DOGE
Mr. Trump appointed Musk to guide the Division of Authorities Effectivity, or DOGE, which was tasked with reducing federal authorities spending, however fell far in need of Musk’s $1 trillion purpose.
DOGE shortly gained huge affect inside the Trump administration, slashing authorities employees and almost dismantling some federal businesses.
Musk and Mr. Trump appeared collectively within the Oval Workplace in February — with Musk’s son in tow — and collectively answered questions from the press.
President Trump listens as Elon Musk, joined by his son X Æ A-Xii, speaks within the Oval Workplace on Feb. 11.
Alex Brandon / AP
When Tesla confronted protests from Trump opponents, the president boosted Musk, climbing right into a Tesla on the White Home South Garden in March and calling the automotive “beautiful.” Days prior, Mr. Trump mentioned on Reality Social he would “buy a brand new Tesla” as a present of help for Musk, who the president mentioned was “doing a FANTASTIC JOB.”
President Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk converse to reporters as they sit in a crimson Mannequin S Tesla automobile on the South Garden of the White Home on March 11.
/ AP
Musk clashed with White Home commerce adviser Peter Navarro in April over Mr. Trump’s tariff technique. Musk known as Navarro “dumber than a sack of bricks” after Navarro mentioned Tesla depends on “cheap foreign parts.” Mr. Trump’s White Home didn’t take sides: “Boys will be boys,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned.
In a late April Cupboard assembly, Mr. Trump praised and thanked Musk — however recommended his time in authorities may finish quickly.
“You’re invited to stay as long as you want. At some point, he wants to get back home to his cars,” Mr. Trump mentioned, as he and his Cupboard led a spherical of applause for the billionaire.
Musk leaves administration and ramps up criticism
Musk left his place within the administration on Might 30 after reaching the utmost variety of days he may function a particular authorities worker. Musk, who had a black eye, stood subsequent to Mr. Trump within the Oval Workplace because the president praised the billionaire’s authorities work and known as him “one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced.”
“Elon’s really not leaving. He’s going to be back and forth, I think, I have a feeling,” Mr. Trump mentioned. Musk mentioned he would proceed to function a “friend and adviser” to the president.
Musk-Trump spat bursts huge open
Within the following days, Musk escalated his criticism of the laws Mr. Trump has dubbed a “big, beautiful bill,” calling it a “disgusting abomination” in a prolonged early June tirade on his social media platform. The insults continued by means of the week, reaching a climax on June 5 with Mr. Trump threatening to cancel Musk’s profitable authorities contracts and Musk claiming that Mr. Trump couldn’t have gained the presidency with out him.
Musk mentioned he would shut down a SpaceX program that NASA depends on to move astronauts — earlier than later backtracking — and appeared to endorse an X publish calling for Mr. Trump to be impeached. Musk additionally warned Republican lawmakers: “Trump has 3.5 years left as President, but I will be around for 40+ years.”
Throughout the back-and-forth, Mr. Trump claimed that he requested Musk to depart his administration and upset him with a provision within the funds invoice that may finish tax credit for electrical autos.
“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.
Musk then alleged that Mr. Trump’s title appeared within the information associated to the case of Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier who died by suicide in federal custody in 2019 whereas going through prices of intercourse trafficking.
In response to the spat, Leavitt known as it an “unfortunate episode from Elon.”
A crimson Tesla is parked on West Government Drive on the White Home campus on June 5, 2025 — the identical day as Elon Musk and President Trump’s public feud.
Alex Brandon / AP
