The world's richest man, Elon Musk, and US President Donald Trump have completely torn apart this week. On Friday, Musk publicly criticized Trump's "Great and Beautiful Act" for plunging the US into massive debt, supported Trump's impeachment, and even accused him of being on the list of the sex offender Epstein, which the government deliberately concealed.
Trump did not back down, publicly stating that he was considering terminating the multi-billion dollar contracts between Musk's companies (Tesla, SpaceX) and the US government, calling it the "simplest way to save the federal budget". He also accused Musk of going crazy on social media, saying he "lost his mind" because he supported the cancellation of electric vehicle subsidies.
Musk Deletes Accusations Against Trump Involving Epstein Case
However, on Saturday, Musk deleted two posts from his X account without any explanation.
One was an accusation of Trump's connection to Epstein, and the other was a call to support Vice President JD Vance replacing Trump, seemingly backing down or fearing that Trump might actually take action against Tesla or SpaceX.
Trump: No Intention to Repair Relationship
However, when interviewed by NBC News on the 7th, Trump was asked if he thought his close relationship with Musk had come to an end? He briefly responded: "Yes, I think so." When the reporter further asked if he wanted to rebuild this relationship, Trump directly said: NO... It seems that the relationship between the two is difficult to return to what it was before.
I think so (that the relationship cannot be repaired). He (Musk) is very disrespectful to the presidential office, and I think that's a very bad thing.
Trump further warned that if Musk funds Democratic candidates opposing his tax reform bill, he will face serious consequences.
"If he does that, he will have to pay very serious consequences."
Allies Turning Against Each Other and the Democratic Party's Breathing Opportunity
WSJ earlier analyzed that this dispute gave the Democratic Party a breathing opportunity in its low point. The public confrontation between Trump and Musk exposed internal cracks in the MAGA alliance and put more pressure on Musk's business empire under federal regulation. Former Vice President Pence's chief of staff, Marc Short, said: "Two huge egos cannot coexist, and this collapse, though swift, is not surprising."
Trump's ally and far-right figure Steve Bannon even suggested investigating Musk's immigration status (Musk was born in South Africa and is a naturalized US citizen) on his podcast, and claimed that MAGA supporters would fully stand with Trump, even threatening that "no MAGA supporter will buy a Tesla".
How this dispute will affect the MAGA alliance and Musk's business empire remains to be observed.
