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Trump vs Musk: BFFs (not forever): A timeline

Tensions between former US President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk have escalated dramatically, creating a fracture in what was once seen as a powerful alliance between the president of the world's largest economy and its richest man

By Forbes India

Published: Jun 6, 2025 03:16:14 PM IST

Updated: Jun 6, 2025 04:03:08 PM IST

The dramatic feud between Trump and Musk comes just days after Musk officially stepped down from a government-appointed position. Image: Shutterstock

For over a week, billionaire businessman Elon Musk has been publicly criticising one of US President Donald Trump’s key legislative efforts—a major government spending bill—and has been actively campaigning against its passage.

The situation reached a boiling point on Thursday, June 5, when Trump, during a meeting with the German Chancellor in the Oval Office, openly expressed his frustration and disappointment with Musk. In response, Musk launched a barrage of accusations on X (formerly Twitter), even going so far as to imply—without offering any evidence—that Trump may be linked to unreleased documents involving the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump didn’t hold back either. He responded by accusing Musk of having "gone CRAZY", claiming that Musk had been asked to leave his advisory role in the administration. Trump also threatened to pull federal contracts from Musk’s companies, including SpaceX and Tesla.

Read: Why Tesla may have found the best man in the popular and ethically straightforward Vaibhav Taneja

The public fallout has had financial consequences as well. Tesla’s stock plunged by 14 percent, pushing the company’s valuation below the $1 trillion mark.

This dramatic feud comes just days after Musk officially stepped down from a government-appointed position aimed at identifying and cutting wasteful federal spending—a role he informally referred to as the "Doge Czar".

Here's a look at how the Musk-Trump relationship has unfolded:

July 13, 2024

Following an assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, Elon Musk shared a video of a bloodied Trump and posted on X: “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery.”

August 12

Musk interviewed Trump on X. Despite technical glitches, it garnered 1.3 million viewers. Musk praised Trump’s resilience post-attack and criticised Kamala Harris, but challenged Trump on climate change.

October 5

At a rally in Butler, Musk urged voter registration and warned “this will be the last election” if people don’t vote. Federal filings later revealed Musk spent over $270 million through two pro-Trump super PACs (Political Action Committees). Interestingly, in October 2015, Musk had mentioned it would be "embarrassing" if Trump had won the GOP nomination, much less the presidency.

November 5

Musk spent election night at Mar-a-Lago, remaining for days to advise on staffing. He was present during at least two of Trump’s president-elect calls, including one with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

November 12

Trump named Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ (DOGE). Ramaswamy soon stepped down. Later, Trump joined Musk for a SpaceX Starship launch.

January 20, 2025

Musk and other tech CEOs attended Trump’s inauguration.

February 11

In the Oval Office, Musk defended federal cost-cutting measures amid lawsuits.

February 26

Musk led Trump’s first Cabinet meeting. Amid controversy over DOGE policies, Trump dismissed criticism, saying, “Is anybody unhappy with Elon?” Cabinet members applauded.

March 6

Trump reminded Cabinet secretaries they should oversee their agencies—but not Musk—following internal pushback. Musk later called the meeting “very productive”.

March 11

Facing backlash over Tesla’s financial struggles and vandalism, Trump hosted a Tesla showcase at the White House, calling Musk “a patriot” and claiming to have bought a Tesla himself.

May 27

Musk criticised Trump’s spending bill in a CBS interview, saying it increased the deficit and undermined DOGE’s work.

May 29

Musk announced his formal exit from the White House as his 130-day term as a special government employee ended, but vowed to remain an informal adviser.

May 31

At a farewell appearance, Musk said DOGE will “grow stronger”. He claimed $175 billion in cuts, far short of the $1 trillion goal.

June 3–4

Musk publicly denounced the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, calling it “a disgusting abomination” and urging followers to pressure Congress to kill it.

June 5

Musk criticised Trump’s “ingratitude”, backed calls for impeachment, and claimed Trump appears in the Epstein files. Trump responded, saying Musk "went crazy" after losing EV mandates and federal support, and threatened to revoke Musk’s subsidies and contracts.