Why the Trump-Musk bromance exploded like a SpaceX rocket
Elon Musk exploded like a SpaceX rocket. The debris rained down across Washington.
Everyone has been awaiting the breakup of the most public bromance between the most powerful man in the world and the richest man in the world.
What could go wrong? Too much power and too much ego. President Donald Trump has exerted executive authority to rule by command. And no one has seen anything like Musk's wealth. Will Musk become the world's first trillionaire – before any landing on Mars? What he gave to Trump's campaign was obscene, over $US230 million ($353 million) – more than enough to help Trump finance winning a second term.
Trump is cunning as hell. He had his blueprint for what he would do from the moment he was inaugurated president to dominate and control the executive branch of the government: Project 2025. As Carlos Lozada wrote, what is so compelling is 'how far the authors are willing to go in pursuit of that agenda and how reckless their assumptions are about law, power and public service'.
Cabinet secretaries and senior officials were to march into their departments and ensure that all the woke culture values of the radical left extremist Marxist monsters were eradicated. Anything having to do with promoting women and people of colour was suspect. Anything honoured in historical reference – such as Black soldiers and airmen who were heroes in World War II – was to be expunged. Anything trans was to be exterminated. The Department of Education and US foreign aid programs were cancelled. Everyone coming into the country was to be scrutinised, down to their social media history. There would be a slashing of programs and government employees.
Loading
The shocker was bringing in Musk to turbocharge Project 2025. What was unprecedented was the ability of a private citizen to seize control and decapitate the leadership of government agencies, scrub spending and cancel contracts, all while ordering the remaining employees to tell Musk, if they wanted to keep their jobs, what they had done over the past five days.
By bringing in one of the most formidable wielders of digital technology in the universe, Musk and the 'department of government efficiency' had access to the databases of virtually all the government – even the most sensitive servers in the Treasury, the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration. DOGE was looking for 'waste, fraud and abuse', but they were also able to see the personal e-files of tens of millions of users and recipients in the systems.
Why did it have to end this badly? In his formal farewell to Musk, Trump consistently praised Musk for his dedication to the task, notwithstanding the risk to his businesses from his enforced absences. Musk was 'tirelessly helping lead the most sweeping and consequential government reform program in generations'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
16 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Joe Rogan left shocked as he reacts to Elon Musk and Donald Trump feud during live podcast recording while guest FBI director Kash Patel refuses to weigh in
Joe Rogan's live reaction to the outrageous feud between Elon Musk and Donald Trump has been captured in the latest episode of his mega-popular podcast. The disagreement between the pair, who appeared to have a strong relationship in the early months of Trump's second term as President, started after Musk lashed out at the President's signature "big beautiful bill" which would unleash trillions in tax cuts and slash spending but also add to the USD$36 trillion debt. Musk's attack on the bill came after he finished his tenure with the administration overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency. The disagreement over the bill led the pair to trade barbs with one another through social media and at the leader of the free world's press conferences. President Trump on Thursday said he was "disappointed" in Musk who had earlier described the bill as a "disgusting abomination", before the Tesla founder accused the commander-in-chief of being in files relating to dead sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In episode 2334 of the Joe Rogan Experience, which dropped on Friday, US time, the podcast host who was unaware of the unfolding drama at the time, had it brought to his attention about three-quarters through his discussion with FBI director Kash Patel. Rogan's producer Jamie noticed the tweets, and brought them up screen for the host who was left shocked by how rapidly the bitter feud had developed. "Jesus Christ", Rogan said in response to Musk claiming Trump's name was in the Epstein files. "Someone should take (Musk's) phone away. That's a crazy thing to say. How does he know? Does he know that Donald Trump is in the Epstein files or does he have access to the Epstein files?" Mr Patel refused to take part in speculating about the claims or weighing into the argument adding: "I'm not participating in that conversation". "I don't know how he would (have access to the Epstein files) but I'm just staying out of the Trump/Elon thing, that's way outside my lane. I know my lane and that ain't it," he said. Rogan continued in disbelief, responding: "what the f**k are they doing?" "I mean I understand (Musk) owns Twitter (but) I think it's bad for your mental things public all day and arguing with people all day is bad for you." Mr Patel pivoted away, as he directed the conversation back to the FBI. Asked about the feud on a phone call with CNN, President Trump kept his response short. 'I'm not even thinking about Elon," he said on Friday (local time). "He's got a problem. The poor guy's got a problem." CNN host Dana Bash then asked the President if he had spoken to Musk. 'No. I won't be speaking to him for a while I guess, but I wish him well," he said.
7NEWS
32 minutes ago
- 7NEWS
Donald Trump has 'no plans' to speak to Elon Musk as feud deepens over tax bill and billions in contracts
Donald Trump says he has no plans to speak with Elon Musk, signalling the US president and his former ally might not resolve their feud over a sweeping tax-cut bill any time soon. Addressing reporters on Friday aboard Air Force One, Trump said he wasn't 'thinking about' the Tesla CEO. 'I hope he does well with Tesla,' Trump said. However, Trump said a review of Musk's extensive contracts with the federal government was in order. 'We'll take a look at everything,' the president said. 'It's a lot of money.' Trump may get rid of the red Tesla Model S that he bought in March after showcasing Musk's electric cars on the White House lawn, a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Musk, for his part, did not directly address Trump but kept up his criticism of the massive Republican tax and spending bill that contains much of Trump's domestic agenda. On his social-media platform X, Musk amplified remarks made by others that Trump's 'big beautiful bill' would hurt Republicans politically and add to the nation's $US36.2 trillion ($A55.8 trillion) debt. He replied 'exactly' to a post by another X user that said Musk had criticised Congress and Trump had responded by criticising Musk personally. Musk also declared it was time for a new political party in the United States 'to represent the 80 per cent in the middle!' People who have spoken to Musk said his anger has begun to recede and they think he will want to repair his relationship with Trump, according to one person who has spoken to Musk's entourage. The White House statements came one day after the two men battled openly in an extraordinary display of hostilities that marked a stark end to a close alliance. On Thursday, Musk claimed that President Trump is listed in the Epstein files, alleging this is why they have not been released to the public. '@RealDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public,' Musk wrote on X. 'Have a nice day, DJT!' The White House later responded, calling the claims 'an unfortunate episode from Elon'. Tesla stock rose on Friday, clawing back some losses from Thursday's session, when it dropped 14 per cent and lost $US150 billion ($A231 billion) in value, the largest single-day decline in the company's history. Musk, the world's richest person, bankrolled a large part of Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. Trump named Musk to head a controversial effort to downsize the federal workforce and slash spending. Trump feted Musk at the White House a week ago as he wrapped up his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk cut only about half of one per cent of total spending, far short of his brash plans to axe $US2 trillion ($A3.1 trillion) from the federal budget. Since then, Musk has denounced Trump's tax-cut and spending bill as a 'disgusting abomination'. His opposition is complicating efforts to pass the bill in Congress where Republicans hold a slim majority. Trump had initially stayed quiet while Musk campaigned to torpedo the bill, but broke his silence on Thursday, telling reporters he was 'very disappointed' in Musk. Musk, who spent nearly $US300 million ($A462 million) in the 2024 elections, said Trump would have lost without his support and suggested he should be impeached. Trump suggested he would terminate government contracts with Musk's businesses, which include rocket company SpaceX and its satellite unit Starlink. The billionaire then threatened to decommission SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, the only US spacecraft capable of sending astronauts to the International Space Station. Musk later backed off that threat. A prolonged feud could make it harder for Republicans to keep control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections if Musk withholds financial support or other major Silicon Valley business leaders distance themselves from Trump. Musk had already said he planned to curtail his political spending, and on Tuesday called for 'all politicians who betrayed the American people' to be fired in 2026. His involvement with the Trump administration has provoked widespread protests at Tesla sites, driving down sales while investors fretted that Musk's attention was too divided.
The Advertiser
35 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Trump has 'no plans' to speak to Musk as feud persists
Donald Trump says he has no plans to speak with Elon Musk, signalling the US president and his former ally might not resolve their feud over a sweeping tax-cut bill any time soon. Addressing reporters on Friday aboard Air Force One, Trump said he wasn't "thinking about" the Tesla CEO. "I hope he does well with Tesla," Trump said. However, Trump said a review of Musk's extensive contracts with the federal government was in order. "We'll take look at everything," the president said. "It's a lot of money." Trump may get rid of the red Tesla Model S that he bought in March after showcasing Musk's electric cars on the White House lawn, a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Musk, for his part, did not directly address Trump but kept up his criticism of the massive Republican tax and spending bill that contains much of Trump's domestic agenda. On his social-media platform X, Musk amplified remarks made by others that Trump's "big beautiful bill" would hurt Republicans politically and add to the nation's $US36.2 trillion ($A55.8 trillion) debt. He replied "exactly" to a post by another X user that said Musk had criticised Congress and Trump had responded by criticising Musk personally. Musk also declared it was time for a new political party in the United States "to represent the 80 per cent in the middle!" People who have spoken to Musk said his anger has begun to recede and they think he will want to repair his relationship with Trump, according to one person who has spoken to Musk's entourage. The White House statements came one day after the two men battled openly in an extraordinary display of hostilities that marked a stark end to a close alliance. Tesla stock rose on Friday, clawing back some losses from Thursday's session, when it dropped 14 per cent and lost $US150 billion ($A231 billion) in value, the largest single-day decline in the company's history. Musk, the world's richest person, bankrolled a large part of Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. Trump named Musk to head a controversial effort to downsize the federal workforce and slash spending. Trump feted Musk at the White House a week ago as he wrapped up his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk cut only about half of one per cent of total spending, far short of his brash plans to axe $US2 trillion ($A3.1 trillion) from the federal budget. Since then, Musk has denounced Trump's tax-cut and spending bill as a "disgusting abomination". His opposition is complicating efforts to pass the bill in Congress where Republicans hold a slim majority. Trump had initially stayed quiet while Musk campaigned to torpedo the bill, but broke his silence on Thursday, telling reporters he was "very disappointed" in Musk. Musk, who spent nearly $US300 million ($A462 million) in the 2024 elections, said Trump would have lost without his support and suggested he should be impeached. Trump suggested he would terminate government contracts with Musk's businesses, which include rocket company SpaceX and its satellite unit Starlink. The billionaire then threatened to decommission SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, the only US spacecraft capable of sending astronauts to the International Space Station. Musk later backed off that threat. A prolonged feud could make it harder for Republicans to keep control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections if Musk withholds financial support or other major Silicon Valley business leaders distance themselves from Trump. Musk had already said he planned to curtail his political spending, and on Tuesday called for "all politicians who betrayed the American people" to be fired in 2026. His involvement with the Trump administration has provoked widespread protests at Tesla sites, driving down sales while investors fretted that Musk's attention was too divided. Donald Trump says he has no plans to speak with Elon Musk, signalling the US president and his former ally might not resolve their feud over a sweeping tax-cut bill any time soon. Addressing reporters on Friday aboard Air Force One, Trump said he wasn't "thinking about" the Tesla CEO. "I hope he does well with Tesla," Trump said. However, Trump said a review of Musk's extensive contracts with the federal government was in order. "We'll take look at everything," the president said. "It's a lot of money." Trump may get rid of the red Tesla Model S that he bought in March after showcasing Musk's electric cars on the White House lawn, a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Musk, for his part, did not directly address Trump but kept up his criticism of the massive Republican tax and spending bill that contains much of Trump's domestic agenda. On his social-media platform X, Musk amplified remarks made by others that Trump's "big beautiful bill" would hurt Republicans politically and add to the nation's $US36.2 trillion ($A55.8 trillion) debt. He replied "exactly" to a post by another X user that said Musk had criticised Congress and Trump had responded by criticising Musk personally. Musk also declared it was time for a new political party in the United States "to represent the 80 per cent in the middle!" People who have spoken to Musk said his anger has begun to recede and they think he will want to repair his relationship with Trump, according to one person who has spoken to Musk's entourage. The White House statements came one day after the two men battled openly in an extraordinary display of hostilities that marked a stark end to a close alliance. Tesla stock rose on Friday, clawing back some losses from Thursday's session, when it dropped 14 per cent and lost $US150 billion ($A231 billion) in value, the largest single-day decline in the company's history. Musk, the world's richest person, bankrolled a large part of Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. Trump named Musk to head a controversial effort to downsize the federal workforce and slash spending. Trump feted Musk at the White House a week ago as he wrapped up his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk cut only about half of one per cent of total spending, far short of his brash plans to axe $US2 trillion ($A3.1 trillion) from the federal budget. Since then, Musk has denounced Trump's tax-cut and spending bill as a "disgusting abomination". His opposition is complicating efforts to pass the bill in Congress where Republicans hold a slim majority. Trump had initially stayed quiet while Musk campaigned to torpedo the bill, but broke his silence on Thursday, telling reporters he was "very disappointed" in Musk. Musk, who spent nearly $US300 million ($A462 million) in the 2024 elections, said Trump would have lost without his support and suggested he should be impeached. Trump suggested he would terminate government contracts with Musk's businesses, which include rocket company SpaceX and its satellite unit Starlink. The billionaire then threatened to decommission SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, the only US spacecraft capable of sending astronauts to the International Space Station. Musk later backed off that threat. A prolonged feud could make it harder for Republicans to keep control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections if Musk withholds financial support or other major Silicon Valley business leaders distance themselves from Trump. Musk had already said he planned to curtail his political spending, and on Tuesday called for "all politicians who betrayed the American people" to be fired in 2026. His involvement with the Trump administration has provoked widespread protests at Tesla sites, driving down sales while investors fretted that Musk's attention was too divided. Donald Trump says he has no plans to speak with Elon Musk, signalling the US president and his former ally might not resolve their feud over a sweeping tax-cut bill any time soon. Addressing reporters on Friday aboard Air Force One, Trump said he wasn't "thinking about" the Tesla CEO. "I hope he does well with Tesla," Trump said. However, Trump said a review of Musk's extensive contracts with the federal government was in order. "We'll take look at everything," the president said. "It's a lot of money." Trump may get rid of the red Tesla Model S that he bought in March after showcasing Musk's electric cars on the White House lawn, a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Musk, for his part, did not directly address Trump but kept up his criticism of the massive Republican tax and spending bill that contains much of Trump's domestic agenda. On his social-media platform X, Musk amplified remarks made by others that Trump's "big beautiful bill" would hurt Republicans politically and add to the nation's $US36.2 trillion ($A55.8 trillion) debt. He replied "exactly" to a post by another X user that said Musk had criticised Congress and Trump had responded by criticising Musk personally. Musk also declared it was time for a new political party in the United States "to represent the 80 per cent in the middle!" People who have spoken to Musk said his anger has begun to recede and they think he will want to repair his relationship with Trump, according to one person who has spoken to Musk's entourage. The White House statements came one day after the two men battled openly in an extraordinary display of hostilities that marked a stark end to a close alliance. Tesla stock rose on Friday, clawing back some losses from Thursday's session, when it dropped 14 per cent and lost $US150 billion ($A231 billion) in value, the largest single-day decline in the company's history. Musk, the world's richest person, bankrolled a large part of Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. Trump named Musk to head a controversial effort to downsize the federal workforce and slash spending. Trump feted Musk at the White House a week ago as he wrapped up his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk cut only about half of one per cent of total spending, far short of his brash plans to axe $US2 trillion ($A3.1 trillion) from the federal budget. Since then, Musk has denounced Trump's tax-cut and spending bill as a "disgusting abomination". His opposition is complicating efforts to pass the bill in Congress where Republicans hold a slim majority. Trump had initially stayed quiet while Musk campaigned to torpedo the bill, but broke his silence on Thursday, telling reporters he was "very disappointed" in Musk. Musk, who spent nearly $US300 million ($A462 million) in the 2024 elections, said Trump would have lost without his support and suggested he should be impeached. Trump suggested he would terminate government contracts with Musk's businesses, which include rocket company SpaceX and its satellite unit Starlink. The billionaire then threatened to decommission SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, the only US spacecraft capable of sending astronauts to the International Space Station. Musk later backed off that threat. A prolonged feud could make it harder for Republicans to keep control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections if Musk withholds financial support or other major Silicon Valley business leaders distance themselves from Trump. Musk had already said he planned to curtail his political spending, and on Tuesday called for "all politicians who betrayed the American people" to be fired in 2026. His involvement with the Trump administration has provoked widespread protests at Tesla sites, driving down sales while investors fretted that Musk's attention was too divided. Donald Trump says he has no plans to speak with Elon Musk, signalling the US president and his former ally might not resolve their feud over a sweeping tax-cut bill any time soon. Addressing reporters on Friday aboard Air Force One, Trump said he wasn't "thinking about" the Tesla CEO. "I hope he does well with Tesla," Trump said. However, Trump said a review of Musk's extensive contracts with the federal government was in order. "We'll take look at everything," the president said. "It's a lot of money." Trump may get rid of the red Tesla Model S that he bought in March after showcasing Musk's electric cars on the White House lawn, a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Musk, for his part, did not directly address Trump but kept up his criticism of the massive Republican tax and spending bill that contains much of Trump's domestic agenda. On his social-media platform X, Musk amplified remarks made by others that Trump's "big beautiful bill" would hurt Republicans politically and add to the nation's $US36.2 trillion ($A55.8 trillion) debt. He replied "exactly" to a post by another X user that said Musk had criticised Congress and Trump had responded by criticising Musk personally. Musk also declared it was time for a new political party in the United States "to represent the 80 per cent in the middle!" People who have spoken to Musk said his anger has begun to recede and they think he will want to repair his relationship with Trump, according to one person who has spoken to Musk's entourage. The White House statements came one day after the two men battled openly in an extraordinary display of hostilities that marked a stark end to a close alliance. Tesla stock rose on Friday, clawing back some losses from Thursday's session, when it dropped 14 per cent and lost $US150 billion ($A231 billion) in value, the largest single-day decline in the company's history. Musk, the world's richest person, bankrolled a large part of Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. Trump named Musk to head a controversial effort to downsize the federal workforce and slash spending. Trump feted Musk at the White House a week ago as he wrapped up his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk cut only about half of one per cent of total spending, far short of his brash plans to axe $US2 trillion ($A3.1 trillion) from the federal budget. Since then, Musk has denounced Trump's tax-cut and spending bill as a "disgusting abomination". His opposition is complicating efforts to pass the bill in Congress where Republicans hold a slim majority. Trump had initially stayed quiet while Musk campaigned to torpedo the bill, but broke his silence on Thursday, telling reporters he was "very disappointed" in Musk. Musk, who spent nearly $US300 million ($A462 million) in the 2024 elections, said Trump would have lost without his support and suggested he should be impeached. Trump suggested he would terminate government contracts with Musk's businesses, which include rocket company SpaceX and its satellite unit Starlink. The billionaire then threatened to decommission SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, the only US spacecraft capable of sending astronauts to the International Space Station. Musk later backed off that threat. A prolonged feud could make it harder for Republicans to keep control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections if Musk withholds financial support or other major Silicon Valley business leaders distance themselves from Trump. Musk had already said he planned to curtail his political spending, and on Tuesday called for "all politicians who betrayed the American people" to be fired in 2026. His involvement with the Trump administration has provoked widespread protests at Tesla sites, driving down sales while investors fretted that Musk's attention was too divided.
