The alliance between American President Donald Trump and technology billionaire Elon Musk suddenly fractured on Thursday after the president publicly criticized Musk’s position on the tax reduction bill currently in the Senate. The White House leader expressed disappointment in the one he had helped „a lot.”
Trump stated that Musk criticizes the bill because it eliminates subsidies for electric vehicles, as well as because he withdrew the nomination of Musk’s preferred candidate for the position of NASA chief, according to CNBC.
"I am very disappointed in Elon. I have helped him a lot," Trump told journalists at the White House.
Musk mocks Trump
Musk quickly reacted on his social network X. "Without me, Trump would have lost the elections," wrote Musk, who was the main financier of Trump's 2024 campaign, contributing over $250 million. "Democrats would control the House, and the Senate would be 51-49 for Republicans," Musk added.
He ironically commented with "Whatever" after Trump's statements, harshly criticizing the cuts to incentives for electric vehicles and solar energy in the legislative package, while subsidies for oil and gas remain unchanged.
"Throughout the history of civilization, there has never been legislation that is both big and beautiful," Musk wrote ironically, referring to how Trump describes the project as "big and beautiful."
Trump unsure if he still has a good relationship with Musk
Tensions escalated after Musk recently left his temporary position within the Trump administration, where he oversaw the program to reduce federal spending and the number of employees. Additionally, Trump withdrew the nomination of Jared Issacman, Musk's favorite to lead NASA, stating that it is not "appropriate" to appoint a Democrat to this key position.
"You know, I've always liked Elon. I'd rather have him criticize me than the bill, because the project is incredible," Trump said on Thursday. The president added, "Elon is upset because we eliminated the incentives for electric vehicles, which means billions of dollars. But he knew this from the beginning."
"I am very disappointed because Elon knew the details of this bill better than almost anyone else. He knew everything. He had no problem until he found out that we were going to remove these subsidies. Listen, Elon and I had a good relationship. I don't know if it still exists. I was surprised," Trump further stated.
The day before, Musk called the bill "a disgusting horror", concerned about the impact on the federal deficit.
The tensions between the two mark a rare moment of disagreement between the president and his most significant financial supporter in 2024.