Musk And Trump Alliance Implodes: ‘Without Me Trump Would Have Lost The Election’

1 month ago 1

Topline

Elon Musk tore into President Donald Trump on Thursday in a barrage of counterattacks on X moments after Trump criticized Musk for bashing his signature policy bill—a shocking and very public implosion of their friendship after Musk has been a fixture at Trump’s side since he donated more than $250 million to help elect him.

President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the ... More White House in Washington, DC, on May 30, 2025. (Photo by ALLISON ROBBERT/AFP via Getty Images)

AFP via Getty Images

Key Facts

“Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” Musk tweeted in response to Trump criticizing Musk for the first time Thursday over Musk’s attacks on his policy bill.

“Such ingratitude,” Musk added.

Trump insinuated in an Oval Office press conference Thursday the Tesla CEO opposes the legislation because he is “upset” the electric vehicle incentive was removed, adding that he’s not sure he’ll remain friends with Musk and alleging Musk “knew the inner workings of the bill.”

Musk didn’t reject the accusation about the EV tax credits in a tweet responding to Trump, writing it was “very unfair!!” that oil and gas subsidies were left in the bill, adding in a subsequent tweet “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!”

Trump also suggested Musk is suffering from what he refers to as “Trump derangement syndrome,” which Trump describes as people turning on the president after they leave his administration.

Earlier Thursday, Musk reposted a 2013 tweet from Trump that said he was in disbelief and “embarrassed” Republicans were extending the debt ceiling, captioning the repost “wise words,” after Trump said Wednesday the debt limit should be “entirely scrapped” as a provision of his “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which would raise the debt ceiling ahead of its expected expiration date in August.

Surprising Fact

Musk said repeatedly last year he supports eliminating the EV tax credit—statements that hurt Trump’s argument he only opposes the bill because it gets rid of the incentive. “I think we should get rid of all credits,” Musk said in December when asked by a reporter on Capitol Hill if he supports getting rid of the electric vehicle tax credit, Politico reported. The House-passed version of the bill would phase out the $7,500 tax credit for some EV buyers by 2026.

Big Number

$2.4 trillion. That’s how much the bill would add to the federal debt over the next decade, according to an estimate by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget office released Wednesday that estimates it would cost $4.2 trillion, mostly from tax cuts, and save $1.8 trillion.

Crucial Quote

“I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot,” Trump said while sitting next to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office Thursday.

Key Background

Musk—who left his White House role Friday—has fired off dozens of tweets this week attacking Trump’s policy bill over the amount it’s expected to add to the federal debt. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore,” Musk wrote Tuesday on X in his initial post bashing the legislation, calling it a “massive, outrageous, pork-filled . . . disgusting abomination.” Musk attacked Trump directly over the bill for the first time since he began his days-long rant moments before Trump sat down with Merz by reposting the president’s 2013 tweet about the debt ceiling. In other tweets this week targeting the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Musk threatened Republicans who voted for it, warning that “in November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people” and calling for lawmakers to “KILL The BILL.” Until Trump’s comments Thursday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.—who shepherded the bill through the House—was the top Republican defending the legislation against Musk’s criticism. Johnson said Wednesday Trump is “not delighted that Elon did a 180.”

What To Watch For

The bill, passed by the House in a party-line vote last month after last-minute revisions to appease Republican holdouts, is currently being negotiated by the Senate. Republican leaders have set a July 4 deadline to put the bill on Trump’s desk for signage, but GOP resistance in the upper chamber—and some expressions of regret from a few House Republicans who said they were unaware of certain provisions—threaten to delay its passage. The legislation would fulfill Trump’s key campaign promises, including an extension of his 2017 tax cuts, no taxes on tips and overtime and additional border security, paid for, in part, by cuts to Medicaid.

Tangent

Tensions between Musk and Trump were palpable during the joint press conference they held Friday to mark Musk’s last day leading the Department of Government Efficiency. While the two praised each other, their once-lighthearted rapport appeared stiff and uneasy. Musk in particular appeared to be in an odd mood, prompting social media users to claim he was “tweaking out,” suggesting he may have been under the influence of drugs, as the press conference was held hours after a New York Times report alleging Musk engaged in heavy drug use while he campaigned for Trump last year. Musk also sported a black eye during the press conference, which the Tesla CEO claimed he got from his five-year-old son.