When two of the most eccentric and powerful figures in the United States decide to join forces, the surprising thing is not that they fall out — but that they lasted four months without doing so. Donald Trump and Elon Musk shared a vision of government efficiency, aggressive deregulation, and permanent confrontation. But above all, they shared something even more explosive: ego.

For nearly a year, one governed from the White House and the other from X, the platform he turned into his ideological command center. They backed each other publicly, appeared on stage together, pushed historic spending cuts, and tried to redraw the map of power. But the fragile balance between Trump’s political muscle and Musk’s technological influence blew up this week in a public war of personal insults, economic threats, and consequences that could deeply reshape Trumpism.

More than a political alliance

Until just a few days ago, Musk was a central figure in the Trump administration. After contributing nearly $280 million to the 2024 campaign and actively promoting the president on his platform X, he was named head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked with cutting federal spending and modernizing the bureaucracy.

During his tenure, Musk claimed to have saved over $175 billion, although the figure has not been independently verified. He was a regular guest at the Oval Office, sat with Trump for a joint interview on Fox News, and was widely seen as one of the administration’s most influential advisors. As the BBC noted, “until a week ago, [he was] the administrator of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) of the United States.”

Still, the relationship began to wear down. Musk had announced his resignation days earlier, arguing that his political involvement was damaging his companies’ performance — especially Tesla, whose stock had been sharply declining. But the final straw was Trump’s signature budget bill.

The “Big, Beautiful Bill”

Trump had been promoting a massive fiscal package combining deep tax cuts with increased spending on defense and immigration control. Musk condemned it as a “disgusting abomination” and warned that it would “increase the already high debt burden on the U.S. public coffers,” as reported by the BBC.

The entrepreneur also accused the administration of keeping subsidies for fossil fuels while eliminating incentives for electric vehicles and solar energy. “Keep the cuts to EV & solar incentives in the bill (even though you didn’t touch oil & gas subsidies — very unfair!), but remove the MOUNTAIN of FRIENDS & FAMILY SPENDING,” Musk wrote on X.

Trump hit back hard. On Truth Social, he wrote: “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” according to AFP. He also accused Musk of being upset because he removed the electric vehicle mandate: “Elon was ‘wearing thin,’ I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY.”

From politics to personal

The escalation was swift. Just last Friday, Trump had honored Musk in the Oval Office by handing him the ceremonial key to the presidential residence. But Musk responded with a series of posts mixing irony, defiance, and low blows. “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 on X. “Such ingratitude.”

Then came one of the most explosive accusations of the episode. “Time to drop the bomb: @realDonaldTrump appears in the Epstein files. That’s the real reason they haven’t been released. Have a good day, DJT!” Musk posted, according to CNN. The White House called the claim “regrettable.”

Trump, for his part, fired back. He mocked Musk for not covering a black eye during his last Oval Office visit (which Musk claimed was caused by his young son) and accused him of suffering from “Trump derangement syndrome,” a term the president uses to describe ex-aides who turn critical after leaving the administration.

Real-world consequences

This isn’t a playground squabble between two oversized personalities. It has real-world fallout. Tesla’s stock dropped more than 10% on the day of the dispute. Trump Media, the parent company of Truth Social, also took a significant hit.

Musk threatened to dismantle the Dragon spacecraft, which NASA uses to transport astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station. Although he later walked back the threat (“Okay, we won’t decommission Dragon,” he wrote on X), the episode exposed just how strategically dependent the U.S. government has become on Musk’s companies.

SpaceX and Starlink, both under Musk’s control, hold active contracts with the Department of Defense — some of them classified. Musk also holds federal security clearance, raising concerns among Pentagon officials, according to the BBC.

On the political front, the fallout could fracture the so-called “tech right,” a coalition of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who had started to align with Trumpism. The breakup also deprives Trump of a major informal communications channel at a moment when his signature legislation is under review in Congress.

And part of the electorate may now be asking: who exactly is running the country?

Is this a final divorce?

Despite the bitter tone of the exchanges, some allies tried to mediate. Investor Bill Ackman posted on X: “I support @realDonaldTrump and @elonmusk and they should make peace for the benefit of our great country.” Musk replied: “You’re not wrong.”

Others, however, believe the damage is done. According to CNN, one source close to both men described the situation as “a divorce,” adding: “I thought maybe August.”

Amid the chaos, Musk floated the idea of creating a new political party and shared posts calling for Trump’s impeachment. The president, for his part, appears intent on cutting ties completely. “I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!” Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to canceling Musk’s subsidies and contracts, as reported by AFP.

Epilogue: a matter of personality

Trump and Musk are not ordinary public figures. Their alliance was not based on institutions, policy, or ideology — it was rooted in charisma, visibility, and a shared taste for provocation. What other administrations would settle behind closed doors, they broadcast in real time to millions of followers.

This wasn’t just a disagreement over a fiscal bill. It was a clash of egos, of styles, and of personal visions of power. A war foretold, yes. But no less dangerous for that.