The friendship between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump broke down in a big way on Thursday. The two, who were once close friends, started attacking each other on social media. Their public fight came just months after Musk stayed overnight at the White House during their friendship.
The dispute began when Musk criticized Trump’s new government spending bill. Musk reposted a tweet from 2013 in which Trump said he was “embarrassed” that Republicans extended the debt ceiling. Musk called Trump’s new bill “a massive, outrageous abomination.”
Trump responded at a press conference by suggesting Musk was angry because the bill removed the electric vehicle tax credit. He also said Musk “knew the inner workings” of the bill and hinted he might stop being friends with Musk. Trump called Musk’s criticism “Trump derangement syndrome,” a phrase he uses for people who turn against him after leaving government roles.
Musk denied turning against the bill because of the tax credit. He said the bill was rushed through Congress without being shown to him or many others. Musk also reminded Trump that he donated over $250 million to his campaign and accused Trump of being ungrateful.
The fight continued with Trump suggesting cutting government deals with Musk could save billions of dollars. Trump also said he asked Musk to leave the White House because Musk became upset about the bill. Musk denied this and called Trump’s claim a lie.
Musk then made serious accusations, claiming the White House has not released files related to Jeffrey Epstein’s investigation because Trump is involved. Musk threatened to stop using SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, but later changed his mind after followers advised him not to.
The dispute caused Tesla’s stock price to fall by 14%, wiping out a month of gains. Musk’s net worth dropped by about $27 billion. Some cryptocurrencies also fell during the clash.
By Friday morning, there were signs Musk might calm the feud. After a friend suggested they should make peace, Musk agreed. However, Trump said he was not very interested in talking to Musk and accused him of “losing his mind.”
A senior White House official said Trump is thinking about selling the Tesla Model S he bought in March to show support for Musk. Reports say the car is already for sale.
The feud appears to have cooled down for now, but the two men have yet to fully resolve their differences.
