The relationship between President Trump and Elon Musk rapidly disintegrated on Thursday, fulfilling predictions of a messy breakup that the world’s most powerful man and its richest man had defied for months.
Trump told reporters in an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that he was “very surprised” and “very disappointed” in Musk, who spent millions of dollars to help Trump get elected, served in his administration for four months but has since mounted a campaign against the president’s signature policy bill.
Musk responded on social media, claiming credit for Trump’s electoral victory last November.
It was a dramatic turnaround for the two men, who just days ago were together in the Oval Office as Trump presented Musk a ceremonial key to the White House.
“I’ve always liked Elon. And so I was very surprised. You saw the words he had for me, and he hasn’t said anything about me that’s bad. I’d rather have him criticize me than the bill. Because the bill is incredible,” Trump said during Thursday’s meeting with the German chancellor.
The president at one point likened Musk to the bevy of former administration officials from his first term who went on to become outspoken critics.
“I’ll be honest, I think he misses the place… I’ll tell you, he’s not the first,” Trump said. “People leave my administration, and they love us. And then at some point, they miss it so badly, and some of them embrace it, and some of them actually become hostile. I don’t know what it is. It’s sort of Trump derangement syndrome.”
Musk responded swiftly on X, the social media platform he owns.
“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 in response to a video of Trump’s comments.
“Such ingratitude,” he added.
Musk, the CEO of Tesla and the world’s richest man, led the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as a special government employee. Musk was the face of the effort to drastically slash the size and scope of government.
The president and Musk were inseparable at times during Musk’s 130-day stay in the government. The Tesla CEO appeared regularly on Air Force One and in the Oval Office and was often joined by his young son, X. Trump in April bought a Tesla on the White House lawn as a show of support for Musk, whose business had taken a hit amid his association with the administration.
Musk officially departed last Friday and received a warm send-off in the Oval Office, where he vowed to remain a friend and adviser to Trump.
But the Tesla CEO has spent the days since leaving the government ramping up criticisms of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a massive reconciliation package that passed the House and contains key pieces of Trump’s agenda.
By Wednesday afternoon, Musk was urging lawmakers to “kill the bill.”
A day earlier, he railed against the legislation in a post on X, calling it “an abomination” and “pork-filled” due to its effects on federal deficits.
“In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people,” Musk wrote in a separate post, while sharing another that highlighted criticisms of Republican lawmakers.
On Thursday, the bromance that had swept Washington deteriorated in real time on camera.
Trump told reporters that Musk’s frustration was related to the legislation’s repeal of an electric vehicle tax credit. Trump argued Musk was aware of the policy “from the beginning.”
“He knew every aspect of this bill. He knew it better than almost anybody. And he never had a problem until right after he left,” Trump said. “I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot.”
Musk responded on social media within minutes of Trump’s comments. He disputed that he was aware of the legislation from the beginning and reiterated his assertion that a bill cannot be “both big and beautiful.”
“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 posted.
“Whatever. Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill,” Musk wrote in a separate post.
The implosion was one that many Washington insiders and observers had been anticipating for months. Trump, those skeptics argued, would not be able to stand sharing the spotlight with Musk, the world’s richest person, and their egos would not be able to happily co-exist.
Trump has historically grown frustrated with those who take up too much of the spotlight, particularly at his expense. His relationships with Steve Bannon and Anthony Fauci soured during his first term as those two garnered more attention.
Some sources close to the White House have suggested Trump and Musk will retain some kind of personal relationship. Musk still has significant influence because of his money and his megaphone, and Trump has in the past mended fences with the likes of Bannon and others who were briefly exiled from his inner circle.
“Elon and I had a great relationship,” Trump said Thursday. “I don’t know if we will anymore.”