A once-powerful alliance between Elon Musk and Donald Trump unraveled spectacularly this week, culminating in the Tesla CEO publicly calling for the impeachment of the president in a dramatic social media war that stunned Washington.
The bitter feud erupted after Musk lambasted Trump’s newly passed economic proposal—nicknamed the “One Big, Beautiful Bill”—accusing it of bloated spending and failing to reduce the national debt. In a series of increasingly heated posts on X (formerly Twitter), Musk claimed the bill was rushed through Congress without proper scrutiny and alleged that its hidden contents serve entrenched political interests.
Tensions escalated when Musk implied Trump may be withholding documents related to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring, suggesting the president himself might be implicated. “Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public,” Musk posted.
Trump, in turn, retaliated with fury, calling Musk “crazy” and accusing him of souring after losing lucrative government contracts and influence. “Elon was wearing thin… I took away his EV mandate… and he just went CRAZY!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. He further floated the idea of terminating all federal subsidies and contracts tied to Musk’s ventures, including Tesla and SpaceX.
The fallout comes just a week after Musk stepped down from his ceremonial post as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), a role he accepted during Trump’s re-election push. Despite a friendly joint press conference at the White House to mark his departure, things quickly turned toxic.
In a meeting Thursday with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump expressed regret over the souring of their relationship. “Elon and I had a great relationship… I’m very disappointed in Elon,” Trump said. “Some leave and become hostile.”
Musk didn’t hold back. He not only denied having prior knowledge of the spending bill, which slashes consumer tax credits for electric vehicles, but also claimed personal responsibility for Trump’s political survival. “Without me, Trump would have lost the election,” Musk declared. “Such ingratitude.”
The tech mogul even polled his X followers on whether a new centrist political party should be launched “to serve the 80 percent,” and openly endorsed calls for Trump’s impeachment, saying Vice President JD Vance should take over.
The dramatic escalation rattled markets. Tesla shares plunged 14% on Thursday following Trump’s threats, extending a year-to-date decline to nearly 25%. Over $100 billion was wiped from the company’s market value in a single day.
The political fallout extended beyond the two combatants. Steve Bannon, a former Trump adviser, called for an investigation into Musk’s immigration status, claiming without evidence that the billionaire is an “illegal alien” who should be deported.
Trump’s parting words, as of Thursday evening, seemed to signal the door had finally closed. “I don’t mind Elon turning against me,” he said, “but he should have done so months ago.”
With impeachment talk, Epstein allegations, and billion-dollar stakes all in play, what began as a policy disagreement has quickly become one of the most explosive political feuds of the year—one with potentially far-reaching consequences for both men and the 2024 landscape they helped shape.
