The feud between former President Donald Trump and tech entrepreneur, American businessman Elon Musk, former tech entrepreneur of Tesla has is back on. This time, it’s around an even more inflammatory omnibus appropriations bill Trump refers to often as his “big, beautiful bill.” Musk has consistently spoken out against this legislation, arguing that it would “bankrupt America.” As their very public disputes have escalated, concerns of retribution between both parties’ supporters have been invited. Both men are preparing for a costly, high-stakes political fight.
Elon Musk went to social media platform X to rail against Trump’s spending bill. He said it was “crazy.” Yet his criticism, notably free from ad hominem attacks or personal insults, is scathing. He has committed to creating a new political party the “America Party” if the bill moves forward. Musk isn’t merely venting his displeasure. He intends to primary lawmakers at home who voted for the bill in the 2026 primaries. This is an important new escalation in their feud, since if Musk’s announced plans go ahead, they would change the political playing field for years to come.
The public purity and private profit — the tension between the two — is in fact intimately connected to Musk’s business interests. His companies, most notably SpaceX, have been buttressed by contracts with U.S. government agencies—receiving billions in taxpayer-funded contracts. Musk is against Trump’s new legislation to kill tax credits for EVs. This places him in an awkward position, to say the least, as he has high personal stakes in that region.
Trump has dismissed Musk’s claims and criticisms of the bill, suggesting that Musk’s opposition stems from his potential loss of subsidies, stating, “Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa.” The former president further noted that “every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame.”
Their fight escalated cathartically after a Presidential Arts Medal showcase event on the White House lawn. There, Trump called on his supporters to start buying Tesla cars while he posed inside a bright red Model S electric vehicle. Musk was understandably irked at Trump’s criticism of EVs, reacting directly to a video of Trump’s comments. It would be so, so tempting to escalate this. So very tempting… I will hold off for the moment.”
Trump makes the case here with enormous vigor that Musk’s concerns are misplaced. The rhetorical battle between the two most powerful public figures in the country gets uglier. Trump’s comments were a response to a recent outburst by bad boy billionaire Elon Musk. And he pointed out, rightly, that everybody doesn’t want an electric vehicle. Not everyone wants it that way, and I don’t want it that way at all,” he said.
That animosity and ridicule has taken a decidedly funny turn. In a recent post, Trump even made a shot Musk’s way while reminiscing on his banned-from-the-platform greatness. Monster that could end up having to turn around and eat Elon. Wouldn’t that be awful? This throwaway line does a lot to set up their unusual rivalry. Both men expertly control and capitalize on the public narrative.