The fiery, long-predicted breakup of the Donald Trump Elon Musk bromance has been pitchforked into the headlines, and there is no détente in sight. The breakup between the most powerful man in the world and the richest man in the world quickly has morphed into an online feud that continues to rage and escalate. The latest: President Donald Trump suggested that he might take a look at some of Musk’s contracts with the federal government. Steve Bannon is reportedly urging Trump to deport Musk. Some predict Trump will find a way to indict Musk. And the news then went out: Trump wants to get rid of the red Tesla he bought from Musk and didn’t accept a Musk phone call. So will Musk take a chainsaw and cut out all the pent-up anger? Unlikely. Musk, who essentially has accused Trump of being a pedophile, now says he’ll apologize when there is full dump of the Epstein files. He’s also calling for the creation of a new political party – which is likely giving Republican strategists stomach cramps. What triggered this? There are conflicting reports and theories but many believe when Trump accused Musk of Trump Derangement Syndrome – a phrase often used to try and discredit Trump critics by suggesting their criticisms are based on emotion bias rather than outrage over Trump actions — Musk decided reacted as Bugs Bunny did: Meanwhile, Musk is believed to have infuriated Trump when he Tweeted that said Trump wouldn’t have been elected President without his help and then proceeded going after Trump on the still-unreleased Epstein files. And so the escalation continues. Here’s a media and Twitter roundup: New York Times columnist Michele Goldberg says the battle signals an ominous shift: At the height of the juvenile flame war on Thursday between the world’s richest man and its most powerful one, Donald Trump posted a barely veiled threat on his website Truth Social. “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” he wrote. “I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!” All the tech oligarchs and business titans who’ve thrown in with Trump, apparently deciding that strongman politics are good for business, should think carefully about that post. In it, you can see the transition to a new kind of American regime. Until approximately six months ago, business leaders did not have to worry that voicing their opposition to an American president could tank their enterprises. Now, it’s widely understood and even tacitly accepted that the president will wield the power of his office to crush his enemies. That’s why stock in Musk’s electric car company, Tesla, plunged while he fought with Trump, losing, astonishingly, about $150 billion in market value on Thursday. It’s true, of course, that in Joe Biden’s administration, Democrats regulated big tech in ways that industry honchos resented. But Lina Khan, the former chair of the Federal Trade Commission, and Gary Gensler, former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, were motivated by policy goals, not personal vendettas. It’s also true that many of Musk’s customers turned on him over his lurch to the far right, which hurt Tesla’s business. But there is a profound difference between ordinary people rejecting a brand that doesn’t align with their values, and a president using the levers of the state to enforce loyalty. Musk could say whatever he wanted about Biden without risking the government contracts of his company SpaceX. Perhaps he attributed that freedom to his own power and indispensability. In fact, he owed it to liberal democracy and the very bureaucratic, technocratic structures that he’s spent the last few months trying to destroy. It’s still too early to know whether Musk’s rift with Trump will be permanent. As I write this, Musk has backed off his online attacks; in response to a social media post by the hedge fund manager Bill Ackman urging a rapprochement late Thursday, Musk wrote, “You’re not wrong.” Nevertheless, the last 24 hours should be a lesson to both him and all the other billionaires who lined up with Trump. In trying to liberate themselves from regulation, they’ve trapped themselves in a posture of deep, even existential submission. When the rule of law gives way to the cult of the leader, there are lots of opportunities for personal enrichment, but only for those who stay in the leader’s good graces. Jonathan Lemire, Ashley Parker, Michael Scherer, and Russell Berman, writing in the Atlantic, report that Trump tried to give Musk a dignified send-off but it didn’t work. Here’s the beginning of the lengthy article For once, President Donald Trump was trying to be the adult in the room. Trump and Elon Musk, two billionaires with massive egos and combustible temperaments, had forged an unlikely friendship over the past year, one built on proximity, political expediency, and, yes, a touch of genuine warmth. Relations between the president and his top benefactor had grown somewhat strained in recent weeks, as Trump began to feel that Musk had overstayed his welcome in the West Wing. Musk had suggested privately that he could stay on at the White House, an offer that Trump gently declined, two people familiar with the situation told us. (They, like others we talked with for this story, spoke anonymously in order to share candid details about a sensitive feud.) But Musk was still given a gracious send-off last Friday—complete with a large golden, albeit ceremonial, key—aimed at keeping the mercurial tech baron more friend than foe. The peace didn’t last even a week. On Tuesday, Musk took to X to attack the Republican spending bill being debated in the Senate, trashing Trump’s signature piece of legislation as “a disgusting abomination.” Even as the White House tried to downplay any differences, Musk couldn’t let go of his grievances—the exclusion of electric-vehicle tax credits from the bill, and Trump’s rejection of Musk’s pick to run NASA. And: Yesterday, the planet’s richest man attacked its most powerful. Each took aim at the other from their respective social-media platform, forcing rubberneckers into a madcap toggle between Truth Social and X. Trump deemed his former aide “CRAZY,” while Musk went much further, dramatically escalating the feud by calling for Trump’s impeachment, suggesting that the president had been part of Jeffrey Epstein’s notorious sex-trafficking ring, and—likely worst of all in Trump’s mind—taking credit for the president’s election in November. For one day, Musk made X great again. The spectacle seemed to subside today, as Trump showed—at least by his standards—some restraint. The president insisted that he was not thinking about Musk and wanted only to pass the reconciliation bill that had featured in the brawl. Musk, meanwhile, has far more to lose: his newfound stardom within the MAGA movement, his personal wealth, and government contracts worth billions to his businesses. Steven Bannon, the influential Trump adviser who has long been critical of Musk, crowed that the tech billionaire’s attacks on Trump were so personal that he won’t be forgiven by the MAGA crowd. “Only the fanboys are going to stick with him—he’s a man without a country,” Bannon told us. Go to the link and read the article in its entirety. ? https://t.co/dGf5Q9xYVW — Rachel Bitecofer ?? (@RachelBitecofer) June 5, 2025 When asked if Elon Musk went "too far" with the Epstein list accusation, Rep. Jared Moskowitz says "The days of going 'too far' in politics, the Republicans have eliminated all lines when it comes to that." pic.twitter.com/QwLkfzZuoH — The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) June 5, 2025 A few observations: 1) The POTUS is more powerful than the richest man in the world…and can make said rich man a lot less rich. 2) It doesn't mean the richest man in the world, armed with a huge platform & following, can't be a real headache. 3) Trump now says Musk has gone… pic.twitter.com/fUNOVhjjgU — David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) June 6, 2025 My prediction in today's newsletter: "Some dramas end in postmodern ambiguity. But not, I think, the drama of Donald Trump and Elon Musk. The outcome of this confrontation will be straightforward. In fact it is already clear: Trump wins. Musk loses."https://t.co/hu7iZSmtLh — Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) June 6, 2025 ? BREAKING: Sources tell me Trump flatly refused to take Elon Musk’s call this morning, telling aides he won’t “speak to a guy who’s crazy and on drugs.” He’s reportedly furious, meeting with loyalists like Pam Bondi to figure out how to shut Elon up. And get this: Trump… — Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) June 6, 2025 Why pick just one side to hate?https://t.co/9Z5tRt39JE — Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) June 6, 2025 An adviser to Elon Musk told NBC News that the recently deposed DOGE chief “does not give a f— about Republicans or the RNC, or House seats, or whatever.” https://t.co/hJMr1aUkp4 — The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) June 6, 2025 Your move Donnie Numbnuts pic.twitter.com/yJsxwn8MKe — Liam Nissan (@theliamnissan) June 7, 2025 Hard to argue with that ? pic.twitter.com/2i9rV2YYa8 — Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) June 7, 2025 I don't usually agree with Elon, but this is very true. pic.twitter.com/RDFy0qkuWK — Devin Duke (@sirDukeDevin) June 7, 2025 Evil will always turn on itself. pic.twitter.com/VqcgrWrE4m — Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) June 7, 2025 Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle? — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 BREAKING ? Elon Musk says, “The people have spoken. A new political party is needed in America to represent the 80% in the middle!” That sound you hear is every GOP strategist sweating through their suit. The guy they once propped up as their Silicon Valley savior just… — Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) June 6, 2025 Laughing stock of the world…. pic.twitter.com/rX2ClA1v0y — Dutchy Patrick (@DutchyPatrick) June 6, 2025 ?BREAKING: Elon Musk has officially launched The America Party, saying it represents the “80% in the middle.” This isn’t speculation, it’s straight from his verified account. And it’s a direct shot at Trump’s grip on the GOP. ??? If Musk follows through, he’ll fracture… — Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) June 6, 2025 They used to say "never pick a fight with a man who buys ink by the barrel." Well now that old adage applies to the social media realm, and it is tech owners like Elon Musk who have all the power… pic.twitter.com/NQXPemtBeW — Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 5, 2025 "To put it indelicately: Trump has Musk by the balls. Trump knows it. And now Musk knows it. And so Musk has begun to back down."https://t.co/hu7iZSmtLh — Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) June 6, 2025 BREAKING: Trump will either give away or sell off the red Tesla that Elon Musk gave him. Does this not tell every Trump supporter that Trump is just one giant smoke screen? He sucks up to those who support him and give him money and then cuts them loose as soon as they speak… pic.twitter.com/2lYQd1yXsw — Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) June 6, 2025 I haven't seen MAGAs this upset since Michelle Obama wanted kids to eat their vegetables. — Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) June 6, 2025 If "nobody wanted" Electric Cars, then why was he selling them on the White House lawn? pic.twitter.com/CZneHkptbj — Brown Eyed Susan (@smc429) June 5, 2025 This tweet is going to appear in a million Democratic fundraising emails this cycle pic.twitter.com/bjEyrVnS9Y — Mike Nellis (@MikeNellis) June 5, 2025 I haven't seen MAGA this upset since they allowed Black people to vote. — Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) June 5, 2025 As a Musk biographer, my view—based on the available evidence—is that if Team Trump gets its hands on Musk’s federal citizenship application and compares it to the acknowledgment by Kimbal Musk that he and his brother knowingly violated their student visas, Musk can be deported. — Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) June 5, 2025 The timing of the "split" is no coicidence. Putin and Musk put Trump in office. Musk already got what he needed. But Putin installed Trump SOLELY for Ukraine. Zelensky outsmarted Trump and Putin. Trump is in trouble! https://t.co/VWT73GWGZF — Cheri Jacobus (@CheriJacobus) June 5, 2025 BEST OPENING LINE TO A STORY THIS YEAR: "Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s alliance took off like one of SpaceX’s rockets. It was supercharged and soared high. And then it blew up." Bravo, @APNews. 10/10, no notes. — Tristan Snell (@TristanSnell) June 5, 2025 I’m telling you if it’s @elonmusk vs @realDonaldTrump my money is on Musk every day of the week, and twice on Sundays pic.twitter.com/QiEbte1YIq — Louise Mensch ?????? (@LouiseMensch) June 5, 2025 CNN right now: "What the Elon-Trump battle exposes about Biden's cognitive decline in office" — Jeff Timmer (@jefftimmer) June 5, 2025 This is easy. Donald Trump should open citizenship process files of Elon Musk for investigation. If Musk lied in his naturalization process, that’s grounds to revoke citizenship. Then deport the freak. https://t.co/AsD1BcOcKY — Stuart Stevens (@stuartpstevens) June 5, 2025 om/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″> Two immediate problems: First, this shows the conflict of interest in Elon getting the contracts to begin with. Second, cancelling them underscores just how much Trump awards contracts based on the support he gets — not public safety or anything else in the public interest. pic.twitter.com/9a59ZygfAJ — Adam Schiff (@AdamSchiff) June 5, 2025 BREAKING NEWS Zelensky has offered to mediate between Elon Musk and Donald Trump — Neil Stone (@DrNeilStone) June 5, 2025 If Trump and Musk break up, who gets custody of Scott Jennings? — Jo (@JoJoFromJerz) June 5, 2025 CNN: Trump v Musk MSNBC: Trump v Musk Local News: Trump v Musk Random guy at Target: Trump v Musk Literally everyone in my text messages: Trump v Musk Fox: is a zebra a horse? — Angry Staffer (@Angry_Staffer) June 5, 2025 The beauty of this feud is both of them are accidentally revealing how corrupt AF they are https://t.co/2MyEw9WyD0 — Greg Sargent (@GregTSargent) June 5, 2025 The post Trump-Musk Bitter Breakup Isn’t Over Yet: Bigger Fireworks in the Offing? appeared first on The Moderate Voice.
