Asger Risom
Once allies, Donald Trump and Elon Musk have now turned on each other in a public and escalating feud over legislation, loyalty—and billions in government support.
A rare moment of direct confrontation between two of the most influential men in the world unfolded in the White House this week.
President Donald Trump, seated beside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office, delivered remarks that sparked an immediate and furious backlash from Elon Musk, the billionaire tech mogul and former Trump administration advisor.
From support to showdown
The initial rupture began Tuesday, when Musk sharply criticized a sweeping budget proposal backed by Trump and Congressional Republicans.
This monstrous, outrageous, pork-filled bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.
Although Musk didn’t name Trump directly, few doubted who the message was aimed at—least of all the president himself.
During Thursday’s press conference with Merz, Trump acknowledged the jab and responded with uncharacteristic disappointment.
I’m very disappointed because Elon knew the details of this bill better than almost anyone here now. Better than you [reporters]. He knew it all.
EV tax credits at the center
The president suggested Musk’s sudden opposition was driven by the bill’s plan to phase out electric vehicle tax credits—government incentives that had helped fuel Tesla’s rapid rise.
He had no problem with it—until he found out we’d be cutting the EV mandate, which costs billions and billions.
Trump emphasized that he supported a diversified auto market, not just EVs.
We want electric, yes—but also gasoline, hybrids, everything. When that was removed, Elon became different.
He claimed Musk had praised him just weeks ago, and hinted personal animosity was now shaping the billionaire’s public attacks.
I helped Elon a lot. And now he turns. That’s disappointing.
Musk fires back
Musk wasn’t silent for long.
Without me, Trump would have lost the election.
The Tesla CEO then accused lawmakers of passing the bill in the dead of night and denied ever being briefed on it, countering Trump’s version of events with a video of the Oval Office remarks.
False. This bill was never shown to me, and passed so fast most of Congress didn’t even have time to read it.
He followed with a barrage of posts criticizing Trump’s leadership and defending his own record. Trump, in turn, threatened to pull government contracts from Musk’s businesses—Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and xAI.
As reported by HotNews.ro, what began as a policy disagreement has now spiraled into a full-blown political and personal clash, with high financial stakes and no sign of resolution.