General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Elon-Trump Feud Is Oligarchy in Action

https://prospect.org/politics/2025-06-06-elon-musk-donald-trump-feud/

I had been wondering if Elon Musk and Donald Trump would have a falling out. Two ultra-wealthy, ultra-corrupt, terminally online, megalomaniacal narcissists do not tend to make reliable partners. Augustus and Agrippa they are not. Yet until this week they seemed to at least maintain a cordial front.
At the time of writing Thursday evening, the sequence of events went something like this. On Tuesday, Musk posted on Twitter/X that Trumps enormous reconciliation bill was massive, outrageous, pork-filled and a disgusting abomination that would jack up the budget deficit. On Thursday, Musk pressed the attack, complaining about the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill, and whining that he had bought the government fair and square. Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate, he posted. Such ingratitude.
Trump responded on Truth Social. The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts, he wrote. 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! he added.
Elon immediately escalated, posting that SpaceX would immediately begin decommissioning its Dragon rocket program, which is currently the only U.S.-based way to transfer astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station, (though he later walked that back), asserted that Trump is in the Epstein files and that is the real reason they have not been made public, suggested he would start a new political party, called for Trump to be impeached and replaced with J.D. Vance, and predicted that Trumps tariffs would cause a recession.
snip
D_Master81
(2,686 posts)The Shaq and Kobe of ultra wealthy in the politics. Shaq and Kobe had huge egos that wouldnt allow them to coexist
Passages
(4,517 posts)Is it repulsive enough for Dem leadership to dump their billionaires as an example to the American people of how dangerous unlimited money in politics has become?
twodogsbarking
(19,364 posts)Martin68
(28,080 posts)their egos collided like crash test dummies against a concrete wall.
louis-t
(24,654 posts)Wounded Bear
(64,655 posts)Uncle Joe
(65,548 posts)with its' own rockets, not to mention the economic and national security dangers posed by monopolies.
Thanks for the thread Celerity
PortTack
(35,824 posts)He just doesnt know it yet.
Kick in to the DU tip jar?
This week we're running a special pop-up mini fund drive. From Monday through Friday we're going ad-free for all registered members, and we're asking you to kick in to the DU tip jar to support the site and keep us financially healthy.
As a bonus, making a contribution will allow you to leave kudos for another DU member, and at the end of the week we'll recognize the DUers who you think make this community great.