Former U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed that his once-close relationship with tech billionaire Elon Musk has come to an end, telling NBC News, “I would assume so, yeah,” when asked if the relationship was over. When pressed on whether he wanted to repair the ties, Trump simply replied, “No.”
The fallout between the two influential figures has unfolded publicly over recent weeks, following Musk’s criticism of Trump’s tax and spending bill, a cornerstone of the former president’s domestic agenda. Despite previously donating an estimated $250 million to Trump’s campaign and briefly serving as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), Musk has since become a vocal opponent of the bill, labeling it a “disgusting abomination” on his social media platform, X.
Musk warned that the bill would add trillions to the national deficit and undermine efforts to reduce government spending—work he claimed to have spearheaded during his brief 129-day tenure at Doge. While he initially avoided directly criticizing Trump, tensions escalated when Musk accused the former president of ties to Jeffrey Epstein, claims he later deleted. Epstein’s lawyer has since denied the allegations.
Trump, responding via Truth Social, said Musk had “gone crazy” and was “disrespectful to the office of the president.” He also threatened to cut federal contracts with Musk’s companies.
Republican figures have largely sided with Trump. Vice President JD Vance called Musk’s actions “nuclear” and predicted he may “never be welcomed back.” Speaking to podcaster Theo Von, Vance called Musk’s attacks a “big mistake.”
Musk, meanwhile, hinted at backing Democratic challengers in the next election cycle, targeting lawmakers who supported the controversial bill. Trump warned that such moves would carry “serious consequences.”
