The feud between the two former allies and friends Elon Musk and Donald Trump has reached its breaking point - and it might not have mattered so much if it weren't for the richest man in the world and the President of the top superpower on the planet, the US.
HDN Newsroom
The clash between the two strong men continues unabated in the last few hours.
The American president said that Elon Musk wants to talk to him, but he himself is not ready. "I won't talk to him for a while, but I wish him all the best," adding that Musk has probably "lost his senses."
The new episode came in addition today, at noon on Friday, June 6, to the explosive and public confrontation between Donald Trump and Elon Musk, with the American president accusing the billionaire of "losing his senses".
Although both sides appeared to be calling for de-escalation, Donald Trump, in a telephone interview with ABC News, said he was not interested in talking to Elon Musk.
"Do you mean the man who has lost his senses?" was Donald Trump's comment when asked about rumors that he had scheduled a phone call with Elon Musk and added that he was "not particularly interested" in talking to him right now.
In a brief statement to CNN on the matter, he continued in the same tone, saying: "I don't even think about Elon. He has a problem. The poor man has a problem. I won't talk to him for a while, but I wish him all the best."
In fact, according to Donald Trump, Elon Musk wants to talk to him, but he is not ready to contact him.
However, the US president reportedly wants to downplay the issue, as according to journalist Jonathan Karl, he said he was not "angry or worried about the controversy.
Tesla's stock falls further
Meanwhile, the confrontation is having a strong impact on Tesla's stock, which fell sharply, recording a 14% drop on Friday morning.
Yesterday, Elon Musk's net worth fell by $27 billion. However, he remains the richest man in the world, with his fortune valued at $388 billion.
Shares of the American president's company, which supports the Truth Social platform, also show a drop of 8%, while there is also a weakening in the Trump Coin cryptocurrency.
The chronicle of the conflict
The escalation was prompted by Elon Musk's stance on the Trump administration's new bill, which is under discussion in the Senate and includes key elements of the presidential program, such as tax breaks and strengthening immigration enforcement. Musk sharply criticized, citing estimates that the adoption of the bill would skyrocket the budget deficit by $2.4 trillion. dollars.
Trump initially responded sharply through Truth Social, but on Thursday he appeared more reserved. "I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done it months ago," he wrote, adding that the bill is "one of the best ever presented in Congress" and concluding with its slogan: "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
Behind the scenes, business and political figures have moved to bridge the gap. Hedge fund manager Bill Akman wrote on Platform X: "I support @realDonaldTrump and @elonmusk and believe they should be reconciled for the benefit of our great country." Musk replied laconically but characteristically: "You're not wrong."
Despite the apparent public rupture, signs of reconciliation show that the White House is seeking stability and unity in its policy line ahead of the battle to pass the bill, while Musk, although disagreed, seems willing to maintain channels of communication with the government.
The clash between the two strongmen, reflecting the fragile balance between political power and business influence, is an escalation of their disagreement over a Republican spending bill that Musk has sharply criticized in recent weeks. Although they had previously avoided direct clashes, on Thursday the two men abandoned all restraint and exchanged "harsh comments" on social media platforms.
In one of the most shocking moments of this controversy, Musk wrote on Platform X that the Trump administration never released Jeffrey Epstein's files because they include the name of the president himself. He later shared a post calling for Trump's removal from office and warning that his tariffs would drive the economy into recession.
A few hours later, Musk played a video showing Donald Trump having fun at a party with Jeffrey Epstein.
"Time to drop the big bombshell: Donald Trump is included in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Good day, DJT!" Musk wrote, shortly after the US president threatened to cut subsidies to his companies, noting that such a move would "save billions" to the US government.
The statements of the two "former friends" appear to reveal the "instrumental" nature of their relationship, despite the White House's claims of ideological identification, the Guardian commented on recent developments.
The backlash on social media has sparked a flurry of comments from politicians and other public figures in the US. Republican politicians are turning against Musk calling his stance childish, while right-wing writer Ashley St. Clair, mother of Musk's 14th known child, has also taken a stand, who has sued him for alimony. "Tell me if you want any divorce advice," she wrote in a post addressing the American president.
Tesla shares collapsed nearly 15% on Thursday afternoon, with the plunge coinciding with Trump's statements. Although SpaceX is not listed on the Stock Exchange, the shares of competing companies have skyrocketed.
How the "storm" broke out
For several weeks, Musk has criticized the U.S. government's spending bill, citing estimates by the independent Congressional Budget Office that it would add $2.4 trillion. In the deficit over the next decade.
The tech mogul's harsh characterizations for the bill (such as "disgusting abortion") deeply annoyed Trump, who expressed his displeasure from the Oval Office in front of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. He mocked the bruise on Musk's face during their last meeting, with him asking why he didn't cover him. "You saw a man who was very happy standing behind the Oval Office, even with a blackened eye. I said, do you want some makeup? He tells me, no, I don't think so. Interesting," Trump said. "We had a great relationship with Elon. I don't know if we will have any more."
Trump then went on to lash out, accusing Musk of turning against the bill just because it doesn't favor Tesla. He even canceled the appointment of Musk's "chosen one" to the administration of NASA. "I'm very disappointed with Elon," Trump said. "Initially, he had no problem (with the bill). Suddenly he got it, and that only happened when he learned that we were cutting the order for electric vehicles."
Musk immediately went on the counterattack. Minutes after Trump's statements were circulated on X, Musk accused the president of lying and showing ingratitude since he spent millions to help him get elected.
"Without me, Trump would have lost. The Democrats would have a majority in the House and the Senate would be 51-49 in their favor," he wrote. And he added: "How ingratitude."
The notion that Musk's contribution was instrumental in Trump's re-election is a sensitive issue for the U.S. president, who has been quick to say in the past that Musk's financial aid did not play a role in his victory in Pennsylvania.
Trump responded via Truth Social that he had fired Musk from an advisory role because his presence in the White House had begun to tire out. Musk responded: "Such an obvious lie. So sad."
Less than half an hour later, Musk posted the tweet about Epstein, perhaps in an attempt to turn the MAGA movement's audience against the American president. It is worth noting that both Musk himself and Trump had previously been photographed with Ghislaine Maxwell – Epstein's former partner – at a party in 2014. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of her involvement in the child trafficking ring.
In one of his latest posts, perhaps revealing his future aspirations in politics, Musk conducts a "gallop" on his platform, exploring whether it would be a good idea to create a new party that ideologically expresses 80% of citizens in the middle ground.
Musk's insinuations and Trump's threats seem to put a definitive end to a mutually beneficial partnership that has lasted longer than many Democrats and circles around Trump expected. Musk spent hundreds of millions of dollars on Trump's re-election campaign through the specially formed America PAC, which funded much of the door-to-door operation — though the actual impact of that campaign remains unclear.
However, those who knew expected from the beginning that this relationship between the two powerful men, with the powerful personalities and the huge "I" was inevitable to end with a huge "explosion".
