Donald Trump and Elon Musk have some bad blood, and that animosity recently reached its boiling point. Musk was crazy, the former president told aides, and their connection was becoming thin as a worn shoe. This showdown has heated up even further since Musk spoke out against Trump’s proposed tax bill, starting the original rift between the two.
Elon Musk is all the talk, again, after his recent surprises regarding SpaceX. Until about a week ago, he was quite literally the best of Trump’s top government advisors. Musk had first announced intentions to retire the Dragon spacecraft in mid-2016. This spacecraft, which is presently the only U.S. means of transportation crew to and from the International Space Station. Yet, he backtracked on this commitment, claiming that he would not move forward with the decommissioning.
Reports surfaced that White House aides had attempted to schedule a call between Trump and Musk to mend their differences. Susie Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff, shot these down in no uncertain terms. She wrote back saying that there were no plans to hold that kind of discussion. A senior White House official confirmed to NBC News that Trump is “not interested” in engaging with Musk at this time.
The battle between the two powerful leaders only underscores the bizarre history of their relationship. Both of these billionaires have had tremendous outsized impact and control over their industries — Trump over politics, Musk over tech. The contentiousness between them has surprised many inside the political world, as both of these leaders have worked closely together on multiple initiatives in the past.
In response to the situation, an administration official expressed a desire to de-escalate tensions, saying, “There could be anything — I’d like to de-escalate a very unfortunate situation.” Given Trump’s hard line on the complete destruction of channels of communication, it’s hard to say how or when things will return to normal, if ever.
As the war drags on, both combatants remain able and free to act within their lanes. Fast forward to the present day, as Trump remains President of the United States. At the same time, Musk is leading Tesla and SpaceX into thrilling new endeavors. Their conflicting public portrayals lays bare the powerful, chaotic forces that can come into play. This is particularly so at the high levels of politics and business.