Trump-Musk Feud: From 'Bromance' To A Social Media Brawl When Did It All Begin?

US President Donald Trump and X owner Elon Musk have long been close allies, with their bond or "bromance" serving as amusement to many social media users. Their affection for each other has now taken a sharp turn into an all-out clash both using social media as their tools in a tit-for-tat exchange.

So, when did it all begin? Trump's "big, beautiful" bill apparently wasn't just so beautiful to Musk. He criticised it, calling it a "disgusting abomination" on the basis that the tax-cut and spending would add even more to the nation's debt, which already reaches a staggering $36.2 trillion.

In response, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office he was "very disappointed" in Musk. "Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore," Trump said.

Trump has also said that Musk's opposition to the bill was because of the elimination of consumer tax credits for electric vehicles. However, Musk has maintained that he does not mind cuts to the EV credits as long as Republicans rid the bill of wasteful spending.

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The X owner and the US President have harnessed their usual platforms to snub each other.

Trump has claimed that he asked Musk to leave as the Tesla owner was "wearing thin". "I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy electric cars that nobody else wanted, and he just went crazy!", Trump posted on Truth Social.

Meanwhile, Musk hit back, posting on X that the "real reason the Epstein files have not been made public" are because Trump is in them. "Have a nice day, DJT!", Elon quipped.

Musk has also responded "Yes" to a post on X that said Trump should be impeached and called out the US President's "ingratitude".

"Without me, Trump would have lost the election," wrote Musk, who spent nearly $300 million backing Trump and other Republicans in last year's election.

Trump meanwhile, took a dig at Elon's space businesses, suggesting that "the easiest way to save money in the budget - billions and billions of dollars - is to terminate Elon's governmental subsidies and contracts."

"I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!", Trump added.

Musk, who owns SpaceX, said the company would "begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately" in light of Trump's statement, which would be a big blow to US space aspirations. Dragon is the only US spacecraft capable of sending astronauts to the International Space Station.

The world is watching closely as these two men, both with loud opinions, clash. As the feud unfolds, conveniently written out on social media, it is yet to see how this will impact the White House, and US politics.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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