Musk claims Trump is in 'Epstein files'
Samantha Donovan: Well, as most observers predicted, the relationship between the American president, Donald Trump, and tech billionaire, Elon Musk, has blown up in spectacular fashion. After rising tensions between the pair over a big spending bill that Mr. Musk believes will blow out the nation's debt, he's now alleging the president features in the so-called Epstein files, the dossiers the late sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein, kept on the rich and powerful as leverage. Isabel Moussalli reports.
Isabel Moussalli: From Seattle, Washington to Austin, Texas, Americans aren't surprised by a bit of fallout between their president and the world's richest man.
Opinion: Yeah, they're two very different guys that I think it was doomed from the beginning.
Opinion: Looks like a lot of petty fighting, a lot of male hubris just out on display.
Opinion: How fast it's going downhill, it is pretty impressive, but yeah, it's not surprising in any form.
Isabel Moussalli: During the US election campaign, tech billionaire Elon Musk was right by Donald Trump's side, even donating more than $250 million to his campaign. Then after the victory, President Trump gave Elon Musk a controversial role, running the Department of Government Efficiency, with the aim of slashing trillions of dollars from government spending, mainly by cutting jobs. Last week, he left that role and has been criticising the president's signature bill, which is forecast to increase government debt. But the feud may go deeper.
Emma Shortis: There has been some suggestion that it goes back to a briefing on China that Elon Musk was scheduled to go to in the Pentagon that Trump was deeply uncomfortable with and that the two clashed over that, over access to power.
Isabel Moussalli: Dr Emma Shortis is the Director of International and Security Affairs at the Australia Institute.
Emma Shortis: The Trump administration is also backgrounding that Elon Musk is upset that Trump's so-called big, beautiful bill takes away tax breaks and subsidies for electric vehicles, which of course will directly affect Elon Musk's companies. But look, I think more broadly, it is a fairly straightforward clash of enormous male egos.
Isabel Moussalli: President Trump has now expressed he's disappointed by Elon Musk's stance.
Donald Trump: Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we're well anymore. I was surprised because we had a wonderful send-off. He said wonderful things about me. Couldn't have nicer, said the best things. He's worn the hat. Trump was right about everything. And I am right about the great, big, beautiful bill.
Isabel Moussalli: And he said Elon Musk's EV subsidies should be removed. Now there has been an even more dramatic escalation. Mr Musk took to his social media platform, X, to say the following, "'Time to drop the really big bomb. Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they haven't been made public. Have a nice day.'" This relates to long-running speculation about the evidence gathered on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In 2019, he was arrested on sex trafficking charges, but took his own life in prison. Many court documents have been made public while others have remained sealed. And some suggest that's been done to cover up some of Epstein's high-profile associates.
Emma Shortis: Trump had suggested really that he would release the so-called Epstein files, which have evidence about what went on in Epstein's kind of empire, I suppose. And those documents have not been released. And Elon Musk has tweeted overnight that the reason they haven't been released, he's alleging the reason they haven't been released is because Trump is named.
Isabel Moussalli: Mr Musk didn't provide any evidence for his claim that Donald Trump is named in the Epstein files. So is his latest statement based on fact or fiction?
Emma Shortis: Of course, I think without having seen the documents, that's difficult to say. I think it's unlikely that Trump isn't named, that at some point in those files, there had been widespread suggestions that he has been, because of course, those powerful circles in New York of moneyed Democrats and Republicans are very small and Epstein moved across all of them. So it would be almost surprising if Trump wasn't somehow named or associated with Epstein, but the allegation is a very serious one given what Epstein himself is accused of doing.
Isabel Moussalli: Professor Gordon Flake from the Perth US Asia Center doesn't believe this latest controversy will have a big impact on President Trump.
Gordon Flake: We have been told probably literally hundreds of times that this is going to be something that moves the dial on Donald Trump and it never proves to be true. I mean, what would not have thought that somebody had been convicted with 34 felony accounts would be, you know, it would turn to the presidency. So I'm a little bit sceptical that something like this is gonna fundamentally change the debate around Trump or the Trump presidency.
Isabel Moussalli: As for the relationship between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, Professor Flake believes the back and forth criticism will continue to flow and continue to distract from serious policy issues.
Samantha Donovan: Isabel Moussalli.
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