New Delhi: The feud between US President Donald Trump and his ex-ally, billionaire Elon Musk, unfolded messily across their social media platforms Thursday, as Musk made an explosive claim saying Donald Trump is named in the sealed Jeffrey Epstein files, suggesting that’s why key details haven’t been made public.
He then called for his impeachment, predicted a recession by year’s end and mocked the president’s tariffs.
He posted the accusation on X, saying, “Time to drop the really big bomb:@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!”
Time to drop the really big bomb:@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.
Have a nice day, DJT!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025
The post has intensified the public feud between the two billionaires. Previously, Musk had criticised the government’s handling of the Epstein case, naming other prominent figures like Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, and Reid Hoffman as alleged clients of Epstein.
The Epstein files refer to the body of evidence uncovered during the investigation of the late Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted child sex trafficker. The files include the identities of his associates and alleged clients. For months, far-right groups and online influencers have been pressuring the Trump administration to release the Epstein files.
It then culminated in Musk declaring that SpaceX would start decommissioning the spacecraft used to transport astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station for NASA immediately, after Trump warned he might terminate federal contracts with both SpaceX and Starlink, Musk’s satellite internet service.
The Dragon capsule is currently the only US spacecraft capable of ferrying astronauts and supplies to and from the International Space Station (ISS).
However, Musk backtracked on this threat.
A seemingly random account on X, responding to Musk’s initial threat to decommission the spacecraft, encouraged Musk to rethink his decision.
“Good advice,” he wrote on X. “Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon.”
SpaceX’s Dragon capsules carry astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station for NASA. If SpaceX were to decommission them, the future of the beleaguered and aging space station would be in further doubt.
The Musk-Trump feud was sparked by a question to the US President, during a White House meeting with the German chancellor, about Musk’s criticism of his spending bill.
Trump had stayed quiet while Musk fumed on X for the past 2 days, blasting the president’s “disgusting abomination” of a bill. But on Thursday, Trump hit back from the Oval Office, saying he was “very disappointed in Musk”.
“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Go ahead, make my day,” Musk retorted on X.
Also read: Elon Musk’s Starlink to get licence to operate in India soon, says Jyotiraditya Scindia
The bill that broke the billionaire
The catalyst for this epic fallout was Trump’s massive spending package—the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill”—which Musk said would balloon federal deficit and kill electric vehicle tax incentives. When Trump said that Musk knew the inner workings of the bill, Musk fired back, calling it “false”.
“This bill was never shown to me even once… passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!” he added.
In response, Trump insisted Musk only soured on the bill after losing the EV tax credits and having his NASA pick, Jared Isaacman, tossed aside. “Totally a Democrat,” Trump scoffed, yanking the nomination over the weekend.
In response, Musk said he may start his own political party. “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” he posted on X.
Musk—who poured $275 million into Trump 2.0 presidential campaign, joined his Cabinet meetings, and even took part in his oath-taking ceremony with an apparent Nazi salute—is furious over “such ingratitude”.
“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!,” Trump said Thursday, following it up with another TruthSocial post.
“I don’t mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. It’s a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesn’t pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that. I didn’t create this mess, I’m just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Their partnership ended last week with a rather somber Oval Office press conference, with Musk sporting a black eye he claimed came from his young son.
Trump referenced the bruise Thursday: “I said, ‘Do you want a little makeup? We’ll get you a little makeup.’ Which is interesting.”
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump reflected on his once-close bond with Musk, saying, “We had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore.”
He added that some former allies “miss it so badly” after leaving his administration that they “actually become hostile”.
“It’s a kind of Trump derangement syndrome, I guess they call it,” he remarked.
According to reports, the Red Tesla is still there in the White House parking lot.
While The New York Times called it an “acrimonious and abrupt break”, things seem far from over, yet.
By Thursday night, Musk even hinted at cooling tensions. When hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman called for reconciliation, stating that they are better together, he responded, “You’re not wrong”.
Meanwhile, on social media…
American political leaders, commentators and X users are weighing in on the Trump-Musk feud.
“This messy Trump-Musk break-up is truly the gayest thing about pride month,” quipped Josh Sorbe, spokesperson for Senate Democrats on the Judiciary Committee, in a post on X.
“Siri, play ‘Bad Blood,’” wrote Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, referencing the Taylor Swift-Katy Perry feud.
Liberal streamer Hasan Piker challenged Musk to “pull up” to his podcast if he really wanted to provoke Trump. And, as Dan Pfeiffer of Pod Save America put it, “Elon finally found a way to make Twitter fun again.”
One X user highlighted the dramatic shift in Musk and Trump’s relationship by juxtaposing Musk’s earlier tweet professing love for Trump with a later comment referencing the Epstein files.
does it ever drive you crazy
just how fast the night changes pic.twitter.com/eVIUviiD3r
— Annie Wu (all socials: @annie_wu_22) (@Annie_Wu_22) June 5, 2025
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
Also read: Elon Musk exits DOGE, day after criticising Trump’s ‘big, beautiful’ spending bill