The love-hate relationship between US President Donald Trump and Tesla owner Elon Musk has always intrigued the masses. In 2022, Musk commented that Trump is too old to assume the office of the chief executive. Things, however, didn’t drain back then. The unshakable alliance crashed down in June 2025 after Musk mocked the tax bill represented by Trump in the House of Representatives. The disagreement has gone so far that Musk demanded the impeachment of the president. In response, Trump threatened to cancel his contracts with the government.
Before the fallout, the two men had been in their honeymoon phase. It seemed like they were inseparable. According to media reports, Elon spent approximately $200 million in the election campaign of Trump. As a token of appreciation, Trump appointed Musk as an unpaid advisor and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
DOGE and Elon Musk’s Reason for Leaving it
The fallout between the US president and Tesla owner came into the limelight shortly after Elon Musk voluntarily quit his unpaid role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) task force. DOGE is a government body formed by the US government to keep an eye on government spending and devise a plan to reduce government spending and cut jobs.
Besides making inevitable changes in the budget, DOGE reduces spending by adopting the policy of mass layoff. Elon Musk was made the head of the department a few months ago. Under the leadership of Musk, DOGE gutted agencies like the US Agency for International Development (USAID). He also sacked hundreds of government employees. Due to his overwhelming influence, Democrats used to call him “President Elon.”
After he assumed the office, critics criticised the department for a lack of transparency and its failure to meet the target. Tesla owners also faced criticism for neglecting Tesla. According to the sources, the firm’s sales fell to their lowest in three years. The masses believe that Musk’s involvement in politics has led to a drop in the value of Tesla. This is considered to be one of the driving forces behind Musk’s distancing himself from the White House.
Role of Ketamine
According to media reports, Trump called Musk “a big-time drug addict.” This way, he tried to associate his current remarks with drug addiction. In response, Musk said that he is used to the overconsumption of ketamine, a potent anesthetic. He uses ketamine to treat stress and depression. The New York Times mentions that during the campaign, Musk used to consume a massive amount of ketamine. So much so that he complained of discomfort in the urinary bladder. The same media outlet mentions that Musk used to travel with a pillbox during the election campaign. Associates of Trump argued that the president was deeply concerned about his drug use. This is why he drifted away from Musk.
War of Words: Minute-by-minute
Tuesday, June 3, 1:31 pm EDT
On 3rd June, billionaire Musk turned to his Twitter account and slammed the tax bill represented by the Trump administration in the House of Representatives. To show his distress, he called the bill an “outrageous, massive, pork-filled, disgusting abomination.” He warned the citizens to “kill the bill,” as it will not only increase the budget deficit to $2.5 trillion but also burden the citizens with gigantic, unsustainable debt.
Thursday, June 5, 12 pm
In a White House press conference, the Republican president expressed his sorrow over his comment. He said that his comments about the bill were disappointing. In the conference, he was accompanied by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. In the same conference, Trump said that it was not a daunting task for him to win elections in Pennsylvania without Musk’s help.
Thursday, June 5, 1:44 – 57 pm
In retaliation, Musk asserted that Trump would not have won in Pennsylvania without his aid. In the same tweet, Musk renamed the bill as the “Big, Ugly Bill.” He also hinted at forming a new political party that would represent the 80% in the middle.
Thursday, June 5, 2:16 pm
In response to one of the comments, Musk commented that he is more relevant than the US president, as the latter has only 3.5 years left in the office, whereas the former will stay around for more than 40 years.
Thursday, June 5, 2:37 pm
In response to the comments made by Musk, Trump commented that he had asked Musk to leave. He said that Musk is going crazy because the EV mandate has been taken off. The EV mandate forced citizens to purchase electric vehicles even if they don’t admire them. He threatened to cancel Musk’s government subsidies and contracts.
Thursday, June 5, 3:10 pm
The fallout took an interesting turn when Musk mentioned Trump’s involvement in the Epstein case. He mentioned that the files related to the late Jeffrey Epstein have never been presented to the public because Trump was involved in the case. A few seconds later, Musk posted, “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”
Thursday, June 5, 4:06 pm
Trump turned to his Twitter account in an attempt to defend the gigantic tax bill. He argued that the bill has a record cut in expenses. Also, if the bill is not passed, taxes will increase by up to 68%. He also said that he has nothing against Musk. However, he can not ignore the fundamental role this bill will play in making America great again.
Thursday, June 5, 4:09 pm
In response to the cancellation of subsidies and contracts, a Tesla owner commented that SpaceX will soon decommission its Dragon spacecraft project.
Thursday, June 5, 4:11 pm
Elon said that Trump should immediately be impeached and Vice President JD Vance should replace him. He also said that Trump tariffs will lead America to a recession in the second half of 2025.
Thursday, June 5, 7:50 pm
Musk came forward with the idea of “Kill the Bill.”
Friday, June 6
President Trump told the state media that he has no interest in exchanging words with Musk. In a conversation, Trump called him “the poor guy.”
Wednesday, June 11
Elon Musk deleted many of his tweets in an attempt to cool down the matter. The billionaire tweeted that he regretted tweets in which he made personal attacks on the US president. He commented that some of the tweets went too far. While the numerical majority considered it an attempt at reconciliation, Trump, however, is in no mood to reconcile with him.
Formation of a New Political Party
As the feud continues between the two men, Musk called for forming a third political party that would stand against the Democrats and the Republicans. A few days back, Musk announced that he would name his party “the America Party.”
As soon as the news reached the White House, Trump called the idea “ridiculous.” Trump asserted that Americans are only familiar with the two-party system and introducing a third party would create confusion. He went on to mention that the US government has now abandoned the Electric Vehicle (EV) Mandate that forced Americans to purchase electric cars. Now Americans are free to invest their hard-earned money in whatever they want. Trump also threatened to use DOGE against the billionaire if he continues to upset him on social media.
While shedding light on his motives, Musk said on Sunday that in the future his party will surely support a presidential candidate. However, in its first year, the party will focus on the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Conclusion
Elon Musk and Trump no longer share an amiable relationship. A bunch of tweets played a pivotal part in driving them apart. While Musk has deleted harsh posts against Trump, the president is in no mood for reconciliation. It would be fascinating to see where the battle between the world’s most powerful person and the world’s richest person goes!
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The views and opinions expressed in this article/paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Paradigm Shift.
Gul Naz received a degree in MPhil Zoology in 2023 from the University of Okara. Besides deriving strength from bibliotherapy, she finds solace in producing articles based on contemporary issues from different parts of the globe.