Billionaire Elon Musk went from President Donald Trump’s chainsaw welding buddy to social media opponents throwing the flames of Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which passed the US Senate slightly on July 1.
The two have traded blows over the bill since May 27, when Musk first criticized it in an interview with CBS. Musk, who previously led the Government Efficiency Bureau (DOGE), which cut government spending, said the bill would “damage the work the Doge team is doing.”
Shortly afterwards, he began by making multiple lightly par posts on Platform X and calling the bill “nasty hatred.” His post urged Trump to say he is “very disappointed” by Musk’s comments.
As Telsa’s CEO, Musk’s comments could also stem from another part of the tax bill that eliminates the $7,500 tax credit for new electric vehicles. Trump made the same proposal in his July 1 response.
Timeline: How the Elon Musk-Trump conflict unfolds
Below is how their relationship has fluctuated since Musk first approved Trump for the president.
Can’t view the graphics? Click here to view it.
The two have developed a somewhat tumultuous relationship since Musk publicly spoke to Trump’s first presidential campaign in 2016. Trump shared both shaming and tributes about Musk during the time and during his third presidential campaign.
Musk spent more than $250 million in Trump’s 2024 presidential election, and Trump invited Musk to both the party on election night and his inauguration speech. Trump then created Doge, hiring Musk as a “special government employee” and led the department alongside Vivek Ramaswamy.
Now Trump said he was considering forced musk from the US. And Musk continues to utter the bill’s scorn on his X account.
Kathryn Palmer, Joey Garrison and Sudicsha Kochi’s contributions
