Trump, Musk insult each other after close ties
(MENAFN) The relationship between US President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk has soured dramatically, devolving into a public exchange of insults and threats just months after they appeared united in celebration of Trump’s reelection. Their falling out follows a familiar pattern seen with many of Trump’s former allies.
Musk’s support for Trump surged after a near-fatal shooting at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania in July 2024. In the run-up to the election, Musk contributed around $200 million through a political action committee to boost Trump’s campaign. However, the two have a long and complex history.
Back in 2017, Musk served briefly on a White House business advisory board during Trump’s first term but resigned when Trump pulled out of the Paris climate agreement. In 2022, Musk publicly suggested Trump should “sail into the sunset,” blaming Democrats for pressuring him to run again to escape legal scrutiny. Musk also criticized the Democratic Party as divisive and hostile.
Later that year, Musk acquired Twitter — now X — and positioned himself as a defender of conservative speech. He restored Trump’s previously banned account and revised content moderation policies, prompting accusations from critics that he enabled misinformation and hate speech.
Musk also became an outspoken critic of President Joe Biden’s immigration policies, accusing the administration of deliberately keeping the US southern border open to grow the Democratic voter base. Trump’s own campaign heavily emphasized mass deportation as a key promise.
In January 2025, Trump appointed Musk to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked with slashing federal waste. Musk's aggressive tactics earned both praise and criticism. At the CPAC conference, Musk waved a symbolic chainsaw given to him by Argentina’s President Javier Milei, reflecting his radical approach to cutting bureaucracy.
However, controversy followed Musk throughout his time in government. A scandal over an alleged Nazi salute and his inflammatory remarks about key US allies were dismissed by the administration but drew international backlash. Reports also surfaced of internal clashes with senior Trump officials, though the president labeled these claims “fake news.”
In March, tensions became harder to ignore. Musk stepped down from DOGE and soon after began openly criticizing Trump’s major spending bill, which he called a “disgusting abomination.” Despite earlier praise from Trump, the rift between them has widened, turning a once-powerful alliance into a bitter rivalry.
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