WASHINGTON — Tensions between President Donald Trump and Billionaire Elon Musk boiled over on Thursday, as Trump is very disappointed on Elon Musk for attacking the Republican policy bill, and Musk responded by saying Trump would have lost the election. This could mean their previously friendly relationship is falling apart after Musk strongly criticized Trump’s main policy bill.
“Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore,” Trump said in the Oval Office, in his first direct response to Musk’s criticism. He said some really nice things about me and hasn’t said anything bad about me personally—yet. But I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve done a lot to help him.
The comments—and Musk’s rapid series of online responses—highlight the latest twist in the surprising rift between the world’s richest man and the U.S. president who once brought him into his administration. Musk played a key role at the Department of Government Efficiency during the early part of Trump’s second term, and the two publicly praised each other earlier this year. However, their relationship began to cool as Trump turned his focus to major spending initiatives and Musk gradually stepped back from his White House role.
Trump implied that Musk was angry about the bill— which Musk had labeled a “disgusting abomination” earlier in the week—because it eliminated a tax credit designed to encourage electric vehicle purchases.
“Elon’s upset because we removed the EV mandate, which involved a lot of money for electric vehicles,” Trump said. “They’re struggling with EVs and want us to provide billions in subsidies. Elon knew this from the start.”
Tesla, the leading electric vehicle manufacturer in the U.S., has seen a decline in sales in recent months amid rising global competition and growing backlash over Musk’s political involvement. Since stepping down from his White House role last week, Musk has claimed he’s back to working “24/7” across his companies, including Tesla and major government contractor SpaceX. However, Tesla’s stock has taken a hit, dropping over 20% this year as Musk intensifies his criticism of Trump’s flagship bill.
Trump’s remarks on Thursday marked his most pointed criticism yet of Musk, once a top campaign donor and trusted adviser. Musk, who had jokingly dubbed himself “first buddy,” officially exited the administration last week under strained circumstances.
“I was honestly disappointed by the massive spending bill,” Musk told CBS in his final days as a special government employee. “It increases the budget deficit instead of reducing it, and it undercuts the work the DOGE team has been doing.”
In response to Trump’s comments, Musk initially dismissed them with a casual “whatever.” But he quickly escalated, claiming that Trump owed his election win to him.
“Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Democrats would control the House, and Republicans would be stuck at 51-49 in the Senate,” Musk said. “Such ingratitude.”
Musk’s opposition to the House bill has also appeared to strain his relationship with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who said Wednesday that the billionaire had completely reversed his stance on the legislation and hadn’t returned his call after publicly denouncing it. Johnson told reporters on Thursday morning that he still planned to reach out to Musk again later in the day.
The House’s narrowly passed version of the bill would extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, eliminate taxes on tips and overtime, increase funding for immigration enforcement and the military, cut spending on Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and raise the debt ceiling by $4 trillion.
According to a new estimate released Wednesday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the legislation would add $2.4 trillion to the national debt over the next 10 years.
Just last week, Trump praised Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency, which oversaw sweeping cuts to federal spending and jobs—though it ultimately fell short of Musk’s ambitious goal to slash $2 trillion from the federal budget.“Elon’s not really leaving,” Trump said. “He’ll be going back and forth, I think… it’s his project, and I believe he’ll stay involved. Elon’s service to America has been unmatched in modern times.”
READ NEXT : Trump expressed strong disappointment over Elon Musk’s criticism of the Republican Party’s policy bill.
