The relationship between US President Trump and billionaire Musk has completely broken down, with both attacking each other on the 5th with increasingly heated words. Trump called Musk "crazy," while Musk retaliated by describing Trump as "ungrateful."
Having just left the position as head of the US Government Efficiency Office, Musk posted continuously on social media on the 5th concerning the "Big and Beautiful" bill, stating, "You either get a big and ugly bill or a small and beautiful one. The small and beautiful is the way forward."
Trump responded by saying that Musk's dissatisfaction stemmed from the bill's proposal to cancel the tax credits for electric vehicle consumers, which affected Musk's interests as the CEO of electric car manufacturer Tesla.
He said: "Look, my relationship with Musk used to be great. I don't know if it will ever be that way again; I am very disappointed with Musk. I've helped Musk a lot."
Musk then posted back, stating: "Without me, Trump would have lost the election. So ungrateful."
Trump countered that he could win the election without Musk.
Trump pointed out that he allowed Musk to leave seeing he was "exhausted." He was about to "go crazy," but Musk replied that this was "obviously a lie, truly sad."
Trump said: "The easiest way to save tens of billions of dollars in the budget is to terminate Musk's government subsidies and contracts. I've always been surprised Biden hasn't done this!"
Musk was not to be outdone, promptly announcing the retirement of SpaceX's "Dragon" spacecraft.
The SpaceX "Dragon" spacecraft is the main tool used by NASA to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station. The contract between the US government and SpaceX is valued at about $4.9 billion (approximately 20.734 billion RM). The "Dragon" spacecraft is the only American spacecraft capable of reliably taking humans into orbit and back to Earth.
Musk also hinted that Trump should be impeached and replaced by Vice President Vance.
He replied to a user's post saying: "President versus Musk. Who wins? I bet Musk wins. Trump should be impeached and Vance (the Vice President) should replace him."
Musk was once a staunch ally of Trump, spending nearly $300 million (approximately 1.27 billion RM) supporting Trump's 2024 campaign. After Trump won the presidential election, Musk joined the newly established Government Efficiency Office, responsible for overseeing bureaucratic corruption and cutting national debt.
The work of the Government Efficiency Office led to massive layoffs in the federal government, with billions in foreign aid and other projects being cut, sparking huge controversy within the United States.
Previously, Musk has repeatedly criticized the "Big and Beautiful" bill on social media as "disgusting," and White House officials expressed "shock" while stating they would not change Trump's progress with the bill.