Trump and Musk feud escalates
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Just a week after Elon Musk left the White House, he and President Donald Trump have turned on each other.
'I'm very disappointed in Elon. I've helped Elon a lot,' President Trump said in the Oval Office Thursday.
What started as a disagreement over the Republicans' tax bill quickly spiraled.
'Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore,' President Trump said.
Musk has now made dozens of posts on X, first opposing the budget reconciliation bill, then saying the president would have lost the election without him, and later writing, 'Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!'
President Trump has previously denied any connection to Epstein. He posted on social media last year, 'I was never on Epstein's Plane, or at his 'stupid' Island. Strong Laws ought to be developed against A.I. It will be a big and very dangerous problem in the future!'
Prior to that post the president hit back on Truth Social saying Musk 'went crazy' and 'the easiest way to save money in our budget… is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies.'
'You know, Elon's upset because we took the EV mandate, and you know, which was a lot of money for electric vehicles,' President Trump said.
The president says the bill's removal of clean energy tax credits, including those supporting electric vehicles and therefore Musk's company Tesla, sparked the fight.
'I know that disturbed him,' President Trump said.
Musk responded on X, 'Whatever. Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill…but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill.'
While the president and Musk go back and forth, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) says Musk 'misperceives' the bill and says it's still on track to pass.
'There is no correlation between the size of the bill and how beautiful it is. He says it can't be big and beautiful. It certainly can be both,' Johnson said.
The bill is now in the hands of the Senate, where a few Republicans are siding with Musk.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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