TUKO.co.ke journalist Harry Ivan Mboto has over three years of experience reporting on politics and current affairs in Kenya

A once-promising political alliance has erupted into a dramatic feud, as US President Donald Trump and former adviser Elon Musk clash over a key piece of legislation.

The confrontation unfolded on Thursday, June 5, as both men took to the platforms they own, Trump on Truth Social, Musk on X, to criticise each other in a fiery exchange that laid bare their growing rift.

Tensions boiled over early in the day when Trump expressed his “disappointment” with Musk’s attacks on his administration’s flagship tax and spending bill.

In a post, Trump hinted the disagreement could mark the end of what he described as their “great relationship.”

Musk did not hold back. In a blistering reply on X, he accused Trump of being ungrateful, writing, “Without me, Trump wouldn’t have won the election.”

The fallout centres around Musk’s opposition to Trump’s signature spending bill, which passed the House last month and now awaits Senate approval.

Once hailed by Trump as “big and beautiful,” the bill has become a sticking point between the former allies.

Musk, who had been appointed to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) just 129 days earlier, abruptly resigned before launching into a fierce critique of the bill.

On X, he described it as a “disgusting abomination,” and condemned the lawmakers who supported it, writing, “Shame on those who voted for it, you know what you did.”

He warned that the plan would irresponsibly increase the national debt and urged Americans to contact their representatives and oppose the measure.

Speaking during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump stood by the bill and appeared visibly frustrated with Musk’s sudden turn.

“Elon understood this bill better than most people in the room. Suddenly, he has an issue with it," he said.

He also implied that Musk’s opposition may be tied to proposed cuts to electric vehicle subsidies, provisions that could negatively affect Tesla.

But Musk rejected that claim, insisting his motives were not self-serving.

“Leave the EV/solar cuts in place, even though oil and gas subsidies remain untouched (which is totally unfair!), but scrap the MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF DISGUSTING PORK in the bill,” he wrote.

According to BBC, in American politics, “pork” refers to government spending seen as unnecessary or inserted to benefit specific constituencies in exchange for political support.

The exchange took a darker turn when Musk, through a series of posts, made personal attacks against Trump.

The allegations included an unsubstantiated claim that Trump is named in documents tied to the late convicted sexual offender Jeffrey Epstein.

These “Epstein files,” which contain travel records and guest lists, remain partially sealed and have fuelled numerous conspiracy theories over the years.

Trump didn’t stay silent. He hit back online, alleging that he had personally asked Musk to resign from his advisory post.

He also floated the idea of revoking federal contracts and subsidies awarded to Musk’s companies, including Tesla and SpaceX.

The public fallout marks a stunning reversal for two figures who, just months ago, appeared closely aligned.

Musk had reportedly contributed nearly $200 million (approximately KSh 25 billion) to support Trump’s 2024 re-election campaign.

In return, Trump appointed him to lead DOGE, a new federal agency tasked with streamlining government operations.

Source: TUKO.co.ke