Musk and Trump's relationship: A timeline from campaign cash to 'disgusting abomination'
The world's richest man has played a uniquely prominent role in President Donald Trump's second administration.
In less than a year, Elon Musk has been a top Trump campaign donor, a senior advisor to the president, the head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency and, suddenly, a vocal opponent of legislation that could be key to Trump's agenda.
Musk's prominence has been highly controversial with Americans, with only 38% of Economist/YouGov's May 30-June 2 poll respondents saying they would like Musk to have an influence in the administration going forward.
How did we get here? Take a look back and the dramatic rise and fall of their partnership:
Skid marks: President Trump's fast start has hit some speedbumps
Musk, the CEO of Tesla, bought Twitter in 2022 and reinstated Trump to the platform after he was banned following the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots. Musk became a growing ally to Trump over the next couple of years.
Then, on July 13, 2024, Trump was shot in an attempted assassination at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and Musk officially endorsed him for president shortly after.
Federal Election Commission records show Musk gave $238.5 million to his America PAC, which backed Trump's campaign.
His contributions included $1 million daily payments to lucky voters in swing states who signed an online petition in support of the Constitution.
The move raised legal questions, drew criticism from former Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, and prompted former Republican officials to press former Attorney General Merrick Garland for an investigation.
During the campaign, Trump said he would establish a government efficiency commission headed by Musk if he won the election. Musk joined Trump at an October rally, jumping around on stage in a highly memeable moment.
Shortly after winning the election, Trump announced Musk and former Republican presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy would lead the new "Department of Government Efficiency", also known as "DOGE" with the mandate to slash federal government spending, waste and regulations. But Ramaswamy ultimately decided to run for governor of Ohio in 2026.
Musk was at Trump's inauguration in Washington, D.C., and joined by fellow billionaires Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg.
Musk delivered a speech at one of the inauguration events, during which he attracted controversy by giving a one-armed salute that some said appeared to resemble a Nazi-style gesture.
"It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured," Musk said before making the gesture.
Musk's DOGE took a machete to federal spending, though he didn't cut nearly as much as he set out to.
By some calculations, the workforce reduction efforts totaled in more than 100,000 layoffs, though the Trump administration is facing ongoing legal challenges to the swift cuts.
At an April 30 Cabinet meeting, Musk appeared to bid farewell while joking about wearing lots of hats.
Musk said at the meeting it was "an honor to work with your incredible Cabinet," and thanked the group.
He had said at the time that DOGE was running more independently on its own and that he would spend less time in Washington as his companies needed him. (Tesla's earnings were down 71% in the first quarter of 2025.)
On his way out, he participated in a seemingly friendly press conference with Trump in the Oval Office on May 30. But by his last day as a government employee, Musk had also appeared to diverge with Trump on a major piece of legislation going through Congress.
Just days after the White House sendoff, Musk appears to have embarked on a "kill bill" campaign on his X account.
Trump's tax and domestic policy bill he has dubbed the "Big Beautiful Bill," is under consideration in the U.S. Senate. But some Republicans have major concerns about the bill, like the deficit and health care and now, Musk.
"I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination," Musk said in a June 3 post on X. "Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it."
"Look, the president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. "It doesn't change the president's opinion. This is one big, beautiful bill, and he's sticking to it."
Contributing: Joey Garrison, Riley Beggin, Bart Jansen; USA TODAY.
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump and Elon Musk: How did we get to 'KILL BILL' fallout
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