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The Guardian
2 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
The inevitable Trump-Musk feud is finally here – and it's pathetic
Ever since the world's richest person, Elon Musk, threw his financial weight behind Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and appeared hopping around idiotically behind the candidate at a rally stage, political observers have wondered what would instigate the two men's inevitable falling out. Would it be a matter of competing egos, with each man resenting the power and influence of the other? Would it be a matter of clashing cultures, with Trump's sleaze rubbing the wrong way against Musk's Silicon Valley creepiness? Would it be an ideological clash, with the paleocon nationalists of Trump's dwindling inner circle turning against Musk's cadre of teenage Doge hackers and cosmopolitan techno-reactionaries? It was bound to be something. Trump, after all, is not known for his ability to maintain cordial alliances – not even with those who have been as useful as Musk has been. Trump's first term, to say nothing of his pre-presidency career, was marked by soured alliances, public remonstrances against onetime partners, and brief, disastrous tenures by employees and advisers who quickly left, angry. Musk, meanwhile, is known for his uncommonly odious personality, a management style that is euphemistically called 'mercurial', and his own increasingly erratic behavior, which includes clashes with a harem of women bearing his children, an allegedly problematic and escalating drug habit, and rumored bladder problems. It's not just that these are not very smart guys; it's that they are guys whose power and money has inflated their egos to such a pathological extent that they are no longer stable, or even especially functional. They would be sad enough cases if their personal deteriorations did not have world-historical consequences; if they hurt only themselves and did not create so much needless suffering for others. As it is, these men were bound to turn on one another and their inevitable fight was bound to reorient the Republican party – casting doubt on the unsteady coalition of new media types, manosphere influences and money that had carried them to victory in 2024. When it finally came this Thursday – with Trump and Musk posting increasingly hostile invective against one another on their respective proprietary social media platforms, Truth Social and X – the fight seems to have been largely about money. Trump posted that Musk had left the administration angry at cuts to electric vehicle subsidies and called for government contracts with Musk's companies to be cancelled; for his part, Musk began a series of posts in which he claimed that Trump was named in the government's Epstein files – 'That is the real reason they have not been made public,' he said – and reposted tweets calling for Trump to be removed from office. Musk claimed credit for Republicans' 2024 victory, and called Trump 'ungrateful'. Tesla stocks plunged. Soon various rightwing media and Trump-world figures began getting in on the action, lining up behind Trump or Musk with the frightened, needful air of children whose parents are divorcing. Trump seems to have soured on Musk some weeks ago, when it became clear that Doge, Musk's frenetic and aggressive extra-legal, cost-cutting venture that had sought to gut the federal bureaucracy in pursuit of the billionaire's libertarian worldview, was chaotic, inefficient, and above all, wildly unpopular. Musk, meanwhile, was angered by Trump's trade war, which threatened the value of his companies, and by the Trump domestic policy bill, which cut the federal subsidies for electric cars that have benefitted Musk's auto company, Tesla. For his part, Musk has always had enemies within the Trump camp: Steve Bannon, the rightwing nationalist, had in fact always hated the South African billionaire, even if they shared a love of certain arm gestures. Unflattering leaks about Musk began appearing in the press, some of which seemed intended to embarrass him. Musk launched a media tour announcing his departure from the Trump administration and hinted at his frustration with the Trump administration and a broader anti-Washington grievance. He began posting about his distaste for the president's bill; on his last day at work in the Oval Office, he showed up with a black eye. The feud creates new pressures for Republican politicians, who must now choose between angering Musk, whose money could fund a primary challenge to any of them, and provoking Trump, whose approval can make or break their political careers. And it presents a unique opportunity for Democrats, who now have an unprecedented opening to kill the Trump bill, exploit instability in the Republican coalition and widening fractures within the Maga coalition, and remind their voters that the Trump regime is not only corrupt but also incompetent – spiteful, petty and unable to agree on anything except for a shared desire to loot the government and deprive the people for the sake of further enriching the billionaire class. The Democrats have long been tepid and uncertain in the face of Trump's second term, with a gun-shy and easily spooked party leadership scolding progressive politicians and the activist base alike to not oppose Trump-Musk, but to let them implode on their own. Now they have. The moment has come. It is up to the Democrats not to waste it. Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist
CNN
12 hours ago
- Business
- CNN
The Musk-Trump fight blows up a critical alliance in American politics
Elon Musk said Thursday that President Donald Trump couldn't have won a second term without his help, a claim that can't be easily proven or disproven. What's clear is Trump's campaign relied on him heavily. Last year, Trump tapped Musk, the world's wealthiest person, to essentially lead his campaign's ground operation in key battleground states like Pennsylvania. The more than $290 million that the multibillionaire plowed into the 2024 election to boost both Trump and congressional Republicans made him the largest publicly disclosed donor in federal contests last year. Thursday's war of words between the two billionaires marked the implosion of a candidate-donor relationship with no precedent in American politics. And it renewed a debate about whether Musk really was as decisive in Trump's 2024 victory as he said in one post, writing: 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.' 'It's incredibly arrogant to say that, but it's probably true,' said Dennis Lennox, a Republican strategist in the battleground state of Michigan. Musk and Trump capitalized on a 2024 decision by the Federal Election Commission that granted campaigns the ability to coordinate with outside political action committees on paid canvassing. Musk's America PAC spent more than $97 million on canvassing and field operations alone, federal records show – with tens of millions more going to digital ads, texting and phone calls as Musk's team worked to turn out voters on Trump's behalf in the final stretch to Election Day. Lennox listed several reasons for Trump's win in Michigan and other key states, including the public response to assassination attempts on Trump and the tumult on the Democratic ticket that saw then-Vice President Kamala Harris replace former President Joe Biden as the party's standard-bearer. But Lennox also credits Musk's use of X, the social media platform he purchased and renamed from Twitter, to amplify pro-Trump messages, as well as the try-everything strategy of the Musk operation. 'It's hard to quantify exactly what America PAC did and didn't do in the election because their effort was, literally and figuratively, throwing everything and the kitchen sink against the blue wall in hopes that something cracked through to deliver Trump a victory.' Musk's political operation didn't just knock on doors in key states. It launched a sweepstakes that offered $1 million giveaways to voters in swing states that drew legal scrutiny. Then there was Musk himself. He appeared with Trump at an October rally in Butler, Pa., the site of the first assassination attempt against Trump months earlier. He all but camped out in Pennsylvania in the final days of the campaign, hosting his own town halls with voters. Musk spoke at a rally after Trump's second inauguration and took on a high-profile role leading Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, overseeing an effort to slash the size of government that fell short of Musk's originally stated goals. His star had been falling with Trump prior to his departure from government and his criticism of Trump's signature legislative package, attacks that strained their relationship and led to Thursday's public fight. And there were also signs that he didn't have the same political touch. Musk deployed many of his 2024 tactics in April's Wisconsin Supreme Court race, spending more than $20 million to boost a conservative candidate and headlining his own pre-election rally in the state. This time, his candidate lost by 10 points.
CNN
12 hours ago
- Business
- CNN
The Musk-Trump fight blows up a critical alliance in American politics
Elon Musk said Thursday that President Donald Trump couldn't have won a second term without his help, a claim that can't be easily proven or disproven. What's clear is Trump's campaign relied on him heavily. Last year, Trump tapped Musk, the world's wealthiest person, to essentially lead his campaign's ground operation in key battleground states like Pennsylvania. The more than $290 million that the multibillionaire plowed into the 2024 election to boost both Trump and congressional Republicans made him the largest publicly disclosed donor in federal contests last year. Thursday's war of words between the two billionaires marked the implosion of a candidate-donor relationship with no precedent in American politics. And it renewed a debate about whether Musk really was as decisive in Trump's 2024 victory as he said in one post, writing: 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.' 'It's incredibly arrogant to say that, but it's probably true,' said Dennis Lennox, a Republican strategist in the battleground state of Michigan. Musk and Trump capitalized on a 2024 decision by the Federal Election Commission that granted campaigns the ability to coordinate with outside political action committees on paid canvassing. Musk's America PAC spent more than $97 million on canvassing and field operations alone, federal records show – with tens of millions more going to digital ads, texting and phone calls as Musk's team worked to turn out voters on Trump's behalf in the final stretch to Election Day. Lennox listed several reasons for Trump's win in Michigan and other key states, including the public response to assassination attempts on Trump and the tumult on the Democratic ticket that saw then-Vice President Kamala Harris replace former President Joe Biden as the party's standard-bearer. But Lennox also credits Musk's use of X, the social media platform he purchased and renamed from Twitter, to amplify pro-Trump messages, as well as the try-everything strategy of the Musk operation. 'It's hard to quantify exactly what America PAC did and didn't do in the election because their effort was, literally and figuratively, throwing everything and the kitchen sink against the blue wall in hopes that something cracked through to deliver Trump a victory.' Musk's political operation didn't just knock on doors in key states. It launched a sweepstakes that offered $1 million giveaways to voters in swing states that drew legal scrutiny. Then there was Musk himself. He appeared with Trump at an October rally in Butler, Pa., the site of the first assassination attempt against Trump months earlier. He all but camped out in Pennsylvania in the final days of the campaign, hosting his own town halls with voters. Musk spoke at a rally after Trump's second inauguration and took on a high-profile role leading Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, overseeing an effort to slash the size of government that fell short of Musk's originally stated goals. His star had been falling with Trump prior to his departure from government and his criticism of Trump's signature legislative package, attacks that strained their relationship and led to Thursday's public fight. And there were also signs that he didn't have the same political touch. Musk deployed many of his 2024 tactics in April's Wisconsin Supreme Court race, spending more than $20 million to boost a conservative candidate and headlining his own pre-election rally in the state. This time, his candidate lost by 10 points.
Fox News
13 hours ago
- Business
- Fox News
Would Donald Trump have won the 2024 presidential election without Elon Musk's help?
As the once-strong alliance between President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk rapidly disintegrates, the two titans are not only trading fire over the president's "big, beautiful" tax cuts and spending bill. Trump and Musk, who spent the first four months of the president's second administration as a special White House advisor steering the recently created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), are also blasting each other over which one of them should get the credit for Trump's decisive 2024 election victory. The president, speaking with reporters Thursday, argued, "I think I would have won" even without Musk's help on the campaign trail last year. Musk, the world's richest person and the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, went all in for Trump last summer and autumn. He endorsed the GOP presidential nominee in July right after the assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. Musk became the top donor of the 2024 election cycle, dishing out nearly $300 million in support of Trump's bid through America PAC, a Trump-aligned super PAC. Much of the money was used for get-out-the-vote efforts and ads in the crucial battleground states as Trump and Kamala Harris faced off for the presidency. Musk concentrated much of his efforts on Pennsylvania. He joined Trump for the first time on the campaign trail at an Oct. 5 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, then held five town halls in the Keystone State later in October. And Musk set up a war room of sorts in Pittsburgh. Trump, mentioning how Musk campaigned for him in Pennsylvania, pointed to his White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, who was co-chair of Trump's 2024 campaign. The president noted that "Susie would say I would have won Pennsylvania easily anyway." Musk, apparently watching Trump's comments in real time, quickly fired back on X, which Musk renamed after buying Twitter. "Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate," Musk wrote. "Such ingratitude." Tom Eddy, the GOP chairman in Erie County, a longtime crucial swing county in northwestern Pennsylvania, told Fox News that Musk "helped Trump significantly. I really think so. He had money and he had a name." But Eddy added that "my gut feeling would be that Trump is basically saying, 'Look. I won the election. These people helped me, but I won.' That's what he's trying to bring across." Longtime Republican strategist Dave Carney, a veteran of numerous GOP presidential campaigns over the past few decades, said the president and Musk are both right. Carney, who steered Preserve America, another top-spending Trump-aligned super PAC, told Fox News that Trump "might have won without the help, but you can't underestimate how important that help was." Pointing to Preserve America, Musk's America PAC and MAGA Inc, which was the main Trump-aligned super PAC, Carney said they all deserved "a tremendous amount of credit" and "just made it easier" for Trump to sweep all seven battleground states and win the White House. Carney also highlighted the Musk-aligned super PAC's "unprecedented field effort, mail and other communications … to turn out these low-propensity Trump voters."
Daily Mail
16 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Musk: 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election'
By Published: Updated: Elon Musk and President Donald Trump's spectacular falling out quickly turned personal Thursday as the world's richest man claimed the president would have lost the 2024 election without his help. Musk had publicly endorsed Trump on the heels of the July 13th assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania and poured around $290 million of his fortune into the Republican's campaign. The billionaire also joined Trump on the campaign trail when he returned to the site of the Butler shooting in early October, a month before Election Day. Trump said he likely still would have won the key state of Pennsylvania without Musk's assistance, partly because Kamala Harris didn't choose the state's governor, Josh Shapiro, to be her running mate. Even with Shapiro on the Democratic ticket, Trump claimed, 'I would have won Pennsylvania, I would have won by a lot.' Musk said that was laughable. 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,' Musk claimed. 'Such ingratitude,' the billionaire added on X. Musk's comments came moments after Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, during German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's visit, that his bromance with the DOGE leader was likely over. 'Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will any more, I was surprised,' Trump said. The president suggested that Musk was angry - not over the bill ballooning the deficit - but because the Trump administration has pulled back on electric vehicle mandates, which negatively impacted Tesla. He also indicated that there was a problem when he rejected Musk's preferred nominee to lead NASA because his choice was a Democrat. 'And you know, Elon's upset because we took the EV mandate, which was a lot of money for electric vehicles, and they're having a hard time the electric vehicles and they want us to pay billions of dollars in subsidy,' Trump said. 'I know that disturbed him.' Shares of Tesla dipped 8 percent amid the spat. Over the weekend, Trump pulled the nomination of Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman had worked alongside Musk at SpaceX. 'He recommended somebody that I guess he knew very well, I'm sure he respected him, to run NASA and I didn't think it was appropriate and he happened to be a Democrat, like totally Democrat,' Trump continued. 'We won, we get certain privileges and one of the privileges is we don't have to appoint a Democrat.' Musk posted to X repeatedly as Trump's press conference was going on. 'Whatever,' the billionaire wrote, as he continued to criticize what Trump has called his 'big, beautiful' spending bill. 'Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill,' he advised. 'In the entire history of civilization, there has never been legislation that [is] both big and beautiful. Everyone knows this!' Musk continued. 'Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill. Slim and beautiful is the way.' In the Oval Office, Trump insisted that Musk knew the contents of the bill before the House passed it. Trump is now pushing Republican senators to back it so he can sign it before the July 4 holiday. 'He became a little bit different. I can understand that. But he knew every aspect of this bill. He knew it better than almost anybody, and he never had a problem until right after he left,' Trump protested. Musk immediately pushed back on X - sharing the clip of Trump's comments. 'False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!' Musk said. At the top of Musk's X profile on Thursday, the billionaire had pinned a tweet that said 'Wise words,' highlighting a Trump tweet from 2013 that said, 'I cannot believe the Republicans are extending the debt ceiling—I am a Republican & I am embarrassed!' Trump noted that until recently Musk had 'said the most beautiful things about me.' Trump said Musk's about-face represented a greater trend. 'People leave my administration and they love us and then, at some point, they miss it so badly. And some of them embrace it and some of them actually become hostile. I don't know what it is, it's sort of Trump Derangement Syndrome, I guess they call it,' the president said. 'They leave, they wake up in the morning and the glamour is gone, the whole world is different and they become hostile.' The president's comments come less than a week after he feted Musk in the Oval Office, giving him an official farewell as the billionaire moved out of special government employee status and back into the private sector. Trump noted that he had given Musk a 'wonderful send-off' on Friday before he headed to Pittsburgh to tout a steel deal between Nippon and U.S. Steel. 'Remember, he was here for a long time. You saw a man who was very happy. He stood behind the Oval desk. Even with a black eye,' Trump said. 'I said, "do you want a little makeup?" And he said, "No I don't think so," which was interesting.' 'And very nice,' Trump added. 'He wants to be who he is,' the president shrugged.
