Trump and Musk trade insults as row erupts in public view
The rift between US President Donald Trump and his former adviser Elon Musk has erupted into the open, with each trading insults after the tech billionaire criticised one of Trump's key domestic policies.
The two billionaires escalated the feud throughout Thursday, lobbing barbs at each other on the social media sites they each own, suggesting a bitter conclusion to their unlikely alliance.
The day began with Trump saying he was "disappointed" with Musk's criticisms of his istration's centrepiece tax and spending bill, musing that it may be the end of their "great relationship".
Musk then accused Trump of "ingratitude", adding: "Without me, Trump would have lost the election."
After hours of sparring, Trump appeared to downplay the situation. "Oh it's okay," he told news site Politico. "It's going very well, never done better." His aides have scheduled a phone call with Musk for Friday, the same news site reported.
Musk also appeared to believe there was a need to patch things up. Late on Thursday, in response to post by Bill Ackman, a prominent Trump backer, which suggested the pair needed to make peace, he wrote: "You're not wrong."
- Follow updates on the pair's row
- Analysis: How bitter feud escalated - and what happens next
- Tesla shares tumble after feud erupts
- What's in the Trump bill that triggered the row?
The breaking point in the relationship between the president and his one-time ally came after weeks of Musk lobbying against Trump's "big, beautiful" spending bill, which was ed by the US House last month and is awaiting a vote in the Senate.
Shortly after leaving the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) after 129 days in the job, Musk took to his site X to call the bill a "disgusting abomination" and posting: "Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong."
He argued that the bill will irresponsibly add to the US national debt, and encouraged his followers to phone their representatives to express opposition to the spending plan.
Trump defended the bill while speaking to reporters during a news conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday, saying: "I'm very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here. All of a sudden he had a problem."
He went on to suggest that Musk was upset about the removal of subsidies and mandates for electric vehicles, which could affect his Tesla business.
Musk denied this was the case and wrote: "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."
"Pork" is a term used in US politics to describe wasteful government spending, particularly on things meant to curry favour with particular groups or local areas.
The partnership between the two men began when Musk endorsed Trump last July after an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. The Tesla boss reportedly funnelled $290m (£213m) into getting him back into the White House.
Amid a flurry of posts on X after Thursday's news conference, Musk took credit for the sweeping Republican victory in last November's election, writing: "Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate."
He added: "Such ingratitude."
Musk went on to post a poll, asking his followers: "Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle"US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sits before a House subcommittee in Washington DC on 21 May 2025. " class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/>
