Trump vs. Musk: Why the Big Bomb isn’t in the Epstein Files? After the Trump Blastup, Mr. Musk and the Bannon Campaign
The alliance between the two most powerful men in the world has been ruined by the blow up between President Trump and Musk. If the feud drags on or becomes more aggressive, it will have far-reaching consequences.
Musk hasn’t sent the $100 million check yet, and may choose not to after this. He also has enough money to fund primary challenges all over the country, as well as engage in aggressive lobbying against the bill — or any future pet Trump project. If SpaceX contracts are canceled, that may strand some military satellites, too.
Use social media as an irritant. Mr Musk asked on X whether it was time to create a new political party that could represent 80% of Americans in the middle. Nearly two million people have participated in the survey so far. And responding to a post suggesting that “Trump should be impeached,” Mr. Musk said: “Yes.” (It was not entirely clear whether he was agreeing with impeachment or with another part of the post.)
Make my day, Musk said. Then, he posted, “Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. The reason they haven’t been made public is because of that. Musk has also dined with Epstein, and has been subpoenaed for documents in an Epstein-related lawsuit.
Cut contracts with Mr. Musk’s companies. Mr. Musk and his companies would save money if the government ended its contracts with them, suggested Mr. Trump on his social media platform. Last year, Mr. Musk’s companies were promised $3 billion in nearly 100 contracts with 17 government agencies.
Investigate Mr. Musk’s immigration status and drug use. Mr. Bannon wants to conduct a formal investigation of his immigration status, because he thinks he is an illegal alien and should be deported immediately. Mr. Musk is a naturalized U.S. citizen. Mr. Bannon also called for an investigation into Mr. Musk’s drug use and his efforts to be briefed on classified information about military plans involving China.
May 2025Musk announced he was leaving the government, citing the end of his “scheduled time” as a special government employee. At a final Oval Office press conference, Trump praised Musk as “one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced.”
July 2024Musk endorsed Trump after the assassination attempt in Butler, Penn. “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk wrote on X minutes after the shooting.
The interview with Trump was hosted on the X Musk radio show in August and went on for over an hour.
October 2024Musk hit the campaign trail with Trump. Wearing a custom black “Make America Great Again” hat, the billionaire addressed a rally in Butler, Penn., where he hopped around on stage, described himself as “dark MAGA,” and predicted “this will be the last election” if Trump were not to win.
Musk also took the stage at another Trump rally at Madison Square Garden in New York, and held a series of $1 million giveaways to voters in swing states.
The election was at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. The morning after, he celebrated by posting an apparently AI-generated image of himself saluting the American flag, captioned, “It is morning in America again.”
The Making of Trump: Musk, Trump, Ramaswamy and the Utterbrella: Personal Attacks on Trump’s 2025 mega-bill
Late 2024Trump announced Musk and former Republican presidential primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy would co-lead a “Department of Government Efficiency” focused on curbing federal spending. At the time it was not clear whether the entity would exist inside or outside the government.
After the inauguration, Musk joined the White House as an unpaid presidential advisor. His “special government employee” status meant he had a 130-working day clock. He was quickly made the face of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, a federal agency that is not officially created by Congress. Musk was the de facto leader of DOGE, even though the Trump administration repeatedly tried to argue in court that he was not.
“The people voted for major government reform and they’re going to get it,” Musk said. “They’re going to get what they voted for.”
They also addressed concerns that Musk’s many companies, which have business with and are regulated by some of the agencies DOGE has targeted, created conflicts of interest.
Later in the month, Musk joined Trump’s first Cabinet meeting. Musk was introduced by Trump as someone who was sacrificing a lot in his government work.
Asked by a journalist about reports that some agency heads were unhappy with Musk’s slash-and-burn approach, Trump asked, “Is anybody unhappy?” His question was met with laughter.
In March 2025. Musk and the president decided to set up a temporary showroom on the White House lawn. With Musk in mind, Trump sat in a red Model S with him and announced his intention to buy a car, despite global opposition to the company’s controversial stance on politics.
The megabill, which is being slammed by Musk for being “pork-filled” and a “disgusting abomination” has been criticized by Musk for days.
On his Truth Social site, Trump said that he took away Elon’s mandate that forced everyone to buy electric cars that nobody else wanted, and that he went crazy after learning that he would do it for months.
On Thursday, their disagreements over the Republican mega-bill advancing most of Trump’s biggest domestic policy priorities erupted into personal attacks, with the two men using their respective social media platforms to hurl insults.
He said Musk “knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody” and “never had a problem until right after he left.” On X, Musk quickly countered, claiming “this bill was never shown to me even once.”
There has never been legislation that was both big and beautiful in the history of civilization, according to Musk. Everyone knows this! Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill. Slim and beautiful is the way.”
Baby Moms: Trump or Musk? Trump can hurt Musk, and if so, when the House will shut down, who’s going to lose?
“They leave, and they wake up in the morning, and the glamor is gone. The world is different, and I am not sure what it is.
After Trump spoke, Musk posted on X that “without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.”
The May weather is over, but it seems the meltdowns are just starting. Right now we are watching two men with a lot of leverage, fighting with threats and public information. The stakes could not be higher as the fight just keeps escalating.
A person associated with Musk’s coterie of baby mamas decided to speak out on behalf of the group. She asked if Donald Trump could give her a break up advice, since she is engaged to Musk.
Meanwhile, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are attempting to subpoena Musk. The hearing was suspended to give the Republicans time to vote against the subpoena. Should Trump demand it, it’s easy to imagine another vote happening — one that hauls Musk in front of Congress.
Who’s winning? Well, Tesla stock declined 14 percent today, closing at $284.70. Trump can hurt Musk imminently, and not just with the spending bill. The Washington Post reports that Musk began his career in the US with illegal work. That could potentially complicate his naturalization and create grounds for the Trump government to strip him of his citizenship, and possibly even deport him back to South Africa. Is that legal? It is clear that ICE doesn’t care.
In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, Musk posted “Space X will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.” The Dragon is used to fly cargo and crew to the space station.
What Is Supposed to Be Saying About the Deficit of the State of California and How We Are Tracking It? (It is an Actionable Threat)
I would question the use of “went” in that sentence but sure. That is an actionable threat. Who is keeping track at this point? It would probably fuck up what’s left of NASA in a pretty significant way, but whatever.
Now, both of these men are excellent at commanding attention, and this is a reality-TV squabble playing out on social media. It is also deeply petty. The posting about the deficit by a government contractor is a nice volley. Trump spiked it.
is a reporter who writes about tech, money, and human behavior. She joined The Verge in 2014 as science editor. Previously, she was a reporter at Bloomberg.