Trump and Musk's fragile friendship finally implodes

Both men exchange brutal insults and threats, with the tech tycoon claiming that the US president is in the Epstein files

- MIKE BEDIGAN JOSH MARCUS

The bromance between Donald Trump and Elon Musk finally imploded yesterday, with the president claiming the world’s richest man had gone “CRAZY”. Mr Trump threatened to terminate his multi-billion-dollar government contracts.

“Elon was ‘wearing thin,’ I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!“ the president wrote.

“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”

Over the course of a few hours, two of the world’s most powerful men traded blows from their respective social media platforms – Truth Social and X – as their partnership came to an abrupt and extremely public end.

The spat culminated in a bombshell claim from Musk, that the president was “in the Epstein files”. “That is the real reason they have not been made public,” Mr Musk wrote, signing off: “Have a good day, DJT!”

Ten minutes later, he added: “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”

Days after leaving his role as special adviser to the Trump administration, as a figurehead of the Department of Government Efficiency (doge), Mr Musk lashed out at the president’s “big beautiful bill”, calling it “pork-filled” and an “abomination.” Mr Trump had previously taken the high road on the issue.

Earlier yesterday, during a meeting with German chancellor Friedrich Merz, the president told reporters he was “very disappointed” with his former “first buddy.” Mr Trump was asked about his former adviser’s recent comments against the spending bill working its way through Congress.