A high-profile feud between President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk erupted this week after Musk attacked Trump’s signature legislation, triggering a fierce rebuttal from the president and threatening to fracture their once-strong alliance.

The clash began when Musk, CEO of Tesla and owner of social media platform X, denounced the administration-backed spending bill as a “disgusting abomination.” 

Though Musk avoided directly naming Trump at first, his tone escalated after the legislation passed, calling on lawmakers to “KILL the BILL” and warning that “no one should be able to stomach” its contents.

Trump fired back during a press conference and on Truth Social, revealing that he personally removed the electric vehicle (EV) mandate from the bill. 

According to the president, Musk had prior knowledge that the mandate—which would have pushed Americans toward government-subsidized electric cars—was being cut.

“I took away Musk’s electric vehicle mandate,” Trump said. “He just went CRAZY!”

The president made it clear that he felt betrayed by Musk’s sudden change of stance, claiming the billionaire’s outrage was politically timed. 

“Elon was ‘wearing thin.’ I asked him to leave,” Trump posted. 

He also questioned the billions in taxpayer money tied to Musk’s companies.

“The easiest way to save money in our 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,” he wrote.

During the press event, Trump elaborated further.

“I’m very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here, better than you people,” he said, according to Trending Politics. 

“He knew everything about it. He had no problem with it. All of a sudden, he had a problem, and he only developed the problem when he found out that we’re gonna have to cut the EV mandate.”

Musk wasted no time responding. 

In a post on X, he said: “False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!”

The billionaire also made a bold claim about his influence over the GOP’s electoral success, writing, “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.”

Trump, appearing unfazed by Musk’s threats, dismissed the attacks as part of a pattern. 

“He’s not the first,” Trump said. “People leave my administration and they love us. And then, at some point, they miss it so badly. And some of them embrace it, and some of them actually become hostile. I don’t know what it is. It’s sort of Trump Derangement Syndrome, I guess they call it.”

The escalating tension is beginning to divide conservative circles, with supporters split between the two prominent voices. 

One user on X called Musk a “fair weather friend,” while others criticized Trump for targeting an ally of innovation and private-sector success.

Despite the drama, the broader political implications of the bill remain center stage. 

Trump’s stance on cutting subsidies for green initiatives and opposing electric vehicle mandates highlights a key policy difference between his administration and mainstream positions within both parties, according to TP.

As tensions escalate between Trump and Musk, the fallout from their dispute is expected to reverberate through Capitol Hill and media circles, signaling a shift in what was once seen as a collaborative relationship.