Tech mogul Elon Musk has sharply escalated his war of words with with his erstwhile ally and United States President Donald Trump, claiming in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) that without his support, “Trump would have lost the election.”
Musk asserted that Democrats would have taken control of the House of Representatives and Republicans would now be “51-49 in the Senate” had he not backed Trump.
“Such ingratitude,” Musk wrote bluntly.
His remarks came in response to Trump’s recent swipe, where he said he was “very disappointed” in Musk and that he had “helped Elon out a lot.”
The fallout stemmed from Musk’s public condemnation of Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill, which he labelled a “disgusting abomination.”
The tension intensified following Musk’s exit as Director of Government Engagement (DOGE), a role he had held in Trump’s administration, as LEADERSHIP recalls.
Trump fired back, claiming Musk had full knowledge of the bill and “never had a problem with it” until after its passage, implying Musk’s criticism stemmed from cuts to electric vehicle (EV) subsidies, which could impact Tesla.
Just last week, the two appeared to part ways amicably.
Trump had given Musk a warm farewell in the Oval Office, stating, “Musk would be with us, always, even if he was no longer working in the administration.”
Now, that apparent camaraderie has unraveled into a very public spat.
“Elon and I had a great relationship,” Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. “I don’t know if we will anymore.”
Trump further implied that Musk’s opposition to the bill was driven by self-interest, suggesting the Tesla CEO was reacting to cuts that affected him personally. But Musk issued a swift rebuttal, saying, “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 followed this by resharing past tweets from Trump, apparently to highlight contradictions. One was from 2013, “I cannot believe the Republicans are extending the debt ceiling—I am a Republican & I am embarrassed.”
Musk pinned this post to his profile with the caption, “Wise words.”
He also shared a 2012 Trump tweet that said, “No member of Congress should be eligible for re-election if our country’s budget is not balanced—deficits not allowed.”
Musk added a sarcastic “💯” in response.
The Tesla CEO then suggested his long-term influence would outlast Trump’s presidency in a reply to right-wing commentator Laura Loomer, who asked what Republican lawmakers would do now.
“Oh and some food for thought as they ponder this question: Trump has 3.5 years left as president, but I will be around for 40+ years…” Musk quipped.
The growing rift appears to have begun weeks earlier, when Musk’s relationship with Trump began to deteriorate over policy differences.
His criticism of the president’s “big, beautiful bill” reached a peak on Tuesday, when he lambasted it again on X.
The bill, narrowly passed in the House by a single vote, is now under review in the Senate.
Amid the escalating political tension, Musk has floated the idea of creating a new political force in the U.S.
“Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?” he asked in a poll on X.
Within just 23 minutes, the poll had garnered approximately 260,000 votes, with a striking 84% voting “yes.”
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