Elon Musk vs. Donald Trump: Timeline of how a political friendship crumbled

Once political allies, Elon

Musk

and Donald

Trump

are now embroiled in a fierce and highly public feud that blends politics, tech, and personal grievance. What started as a disagreement over Trump’s sweeping domestic spending bill quickly escalated into a bitter war of words, with Musk unleashing a series of social media posts criticizing government waste and Trump retaliating with personal attacks and threats to sever federal ties with Musk’s companies. The fallout has been swift and dramatic, pulling in lawmakers, press secretaries, and even pop culture figures. Below is a detailed post-by-post timeline of how their alliance collapsed.

Timeline of Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s shocking feud

Elon Musk calls Trump's spending bill a “disgusting abomination”

Elon Musk criticizes Trump’s new tax and spending package, labelling it a “massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill” and a “disgusting abomination.”

Musk warns it would undo DOGE cost savings

He claims the bill would undo all the savings achieved by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he recently served as an advisor.

Trump shares Musk’s exit post on truth social

Trump reacts by sharing Musk’s earlier resignation from his government role, suggesting betrayal.

Musk says GOP voters want the bill trimmed

Musk reposts claims that the majority of Republican voters want the bill “trimmed down,” adding a simple “Yes.”

Musk quotes old Trump posts on debt ceiling

He shares an old Trump post criticizing GOP lawmakers for raising the debt ceiling, adding the comment “wise words.”

Musk recalls Trump's past budget warnings

Musk digs up another Trump post stating no lawmaker should be re-elected if the U.S. budget isn’t balanced, saying, “I couldn’t agree more.”

Trump admits the relationship has deteriorated

Trump tells reporters he’s “very disappointed” in Musk after his repeated criticism and acknowledges the relationship may be over.

Musk proposes a “Slim Beautiful Bill”

He suggests a trimmed-down version of Trump’s legislation, posting: “Slim Beautiful Bill for the win.”

Musk backs EV subsidy cuts

Musk surprisingly supports cuts to electric vehicle incentives if it means reducing government spending.

Musk denies seeing the budget bill

He disputes Trump’s claim that he reviewed the bill, stating he was “not shown the bill even once.”

Musk says Trump would’ve lost without him

Musk posts that Trump wouldn’t have won the election without his help — a bold assertion.

Musk accuses Trump of “ingratitude”

In a follow-up, Musk calls Trump ungrateful and shares a video of Trump praising him earlier in the year.

Musk wants cuts to “crazy spending increases”

Musk urges lawmakers to preserve green energy cuts but slash the “crazy spending increases” in the bill.

Musk warns the deficit will hit $2.5 trillion

He warns that the proposed bill would balloon the U.S. deficit to $2.5 trillion.

Musk says: “kill bill”

In a short and pointed post, Musk calls to “Kill Bill,” referencing the proposed legislation.

Musk floats third party with X poll

He starts a poll on X asking whether America needs a new political party.

Musk insists Tesla doesn’t rely on subsidies

To counter Trump’s implied criticisms, Musk shares a video from 2021 claiming Tesla doesn't need EV subsidies to survive.

Musk shares post: “I’ll be around for 40+ years”

In response to Laura Loomer, Musk amplifies the message that Trump only has a few years left, while he’ll be a force for decades.

Musk targets Mike Johnson's past statements

He posts an old quote from House Speaker Mike Johnson on debt concerns, captioning it: “Where is the Mike Johnson 2023!?”

Musk says lawmakers didn’t read the bill

He claims that most of Congress passed the bill without even reading it.

Musk cites Sen. John Thune’s past debt warnings

Musk shares a video of John Thune raising red flags about the deficit in 2020, asking, “Where is the John Thune of 2020??”

Musk amplifies parody account criticizing Trump

He reposts a satirical Jerome Powell account that questions whether Musk or Trump is right.

Musk doubles down on deficit concerns

He again shares an old post from Speaker Johnson urging spending cuts, saying, “I super agree wi[th this].”

Musk says congress is “spending America into bankruptcy”

In a sweeping rebuke, Musk claims the new budget plan would lead to national financial ruin.

Trump accuses Musk of going “crazy”

Trump says he asked Musk to leave the administration and revoked his EV mandate, blaming Musk’s behavior on that fallout.

Trump threatens to terminate Musk's contracts

Trump suggests the federal government could save money by canceling contracts and subsidies for Musk’s companies.

Musk denies EV dispute is the core issue

He refutes Trump’s framing, stating that the disagreement isn’t about EVs — it’s about fiscal sanity.

Musk claims Trump is “in the Epstein files”

In a stunning escalation, Musk posts that Trump is named in Jeffrey Epstein’s files.

Musk promises: “the truth will come out”

He follows up with ominous posts suggesting more revelations are coming.

Ye (Kanye West) joins the conversation

Rapper Ye weighs in on the feud, though the details of his position remain unclear.

Mike Johnson defends the bill

House Speaker Johnson breaks with Musk and defends the president’s budget proposal.

Trump complains about the timing

Trump complains about Musk going public with his criticism during a crucial push for legislative approval.

Musk threatens to decommission spacex craft

Musk makes a jaw-dropping statement, threatening to pull the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from NASA use.

Musk backs call for Trump’s impeachment

He agrees with an X user advocating impeachment of President Trump over the spending bill.

Tesla stock plunges by $150 billion

Tesla’s value drops 14% in a single day, wiping out $150 billion — a stark sign of the chaos caused by the feud.

Musk warns tariffs will cause recession

He blames Trump’s tariffs for putting the U.S. economy on the edge of recession.

Musk posts Trump-Epstein video with emoji

He posts a video showing Trump partying with Epstein, punctuated with a raised eyebrow emoji.

White House responds to Epstein allegation

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt calls Musk’s post “an unfortunate episode” and blames his outrage on the bill excluding his favored policies.From ideological differences to deeply personal jabs, the feud between Elon Musk and Donald Trump has escalated beyond political commentary. What started as a policy disagreement has evolved into a cultural and political war, signaling a deep fracture between two of the most influential figures in America. And if their recent posts are any indication, this drama is far from over.