Elon Musk, once President Donald Trump‘s closed political ally, made a dramatic move on Thursday night to de-escalate the spiraling feud between the two billionaires that now threatens to tear apart the MAGA coalition.
The fallout, sparked by policy clashes and personal barbs, has rapidly evolved into one of the most explosive political battles in recent memory.
Trump, furious over Musk’s vocal opposition to the GOP‘s ‘big, beautiful bill,’ retaliated by suggesting that Musk’s multibillion-dollar government contracts should be ripped away.
Musk fired back with threats of his own, calling for Trump’s impeachment and dragging his name into the infamous Epstein files.
The public spat, played out on social media, has sent shockwaves through the MAGA movement.
Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman stepped into the fray on Thursday evening, posting a plea on X for the two men to reconcile ‘for the benefit of our great country,’ warning that ‘we are much stronger together than apart.’
Musk’s response was brief but telling: ‘You’re not wrong.’
Musk’s unexpected olive branch to Trump suggests he was looking for an off-ramp before the collision between the two becomes catastrophic for both men – and for the MAGA movement itself.
Only last week Trump gave Musk a special golden key as a parting gift recognizing his time in the White House – he may now be considering whether to change the locks.
Late on Thursday night, Elon Musk moved to de-escalate his feud with Donald Trump reversing a threat to shut down SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft
Elon Musk reversed his threat to decommission SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft after takoing some advice from an X user
Amid the political firestorm, hedge fund titan Bill Ackman also took to X on Thursday evening with a plea for peace, urging Musk and Trump to reconcile ‘for the benefit of our great country.’
Trump himself floated the idea of terminating Musk’s lucrative federal contracts with allies suggesting he and his companies be stripped of security clearances.
Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon went further, suggesting that the government should seize SpaceX under the Defense Production Act – a legally dubious move that would undoubtedly trigger constitutional challenges.
Musk ultimately retreated and reversed his threat to decommission SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft – a move that sent NASA and the broader space community into panic mode.
SpaceX Dragon capsules are not just any spacecraft but a critical lifeline transporting American astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station. Without them, NASA’s already fragile access to orbit would be thrown into chaos.
After a user on X challenged Musk’s threat to pull the program suggesting he ‘cool off and take a step back for a couple of days’, he abruptly posted: ‘Good advice. Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon.’
Whether Trump will accept the offer of a truce and that any damage in their relationship can be repaired, remains to be seen.
Hours earlier Musk was calling for Trump’s impeachment. It saw Trump retaliate threatening to hit Musk where it hurts, ripping away his lucrative multibillion-dollar federal contracts for SpaceX.
In an explosive back-and-fourth throughout the afternoon, Trump hit back at Musk’s escalating claims by suggesting the entrepreneur’s multibillion-dollar government contracts could be taken away.
‘The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,’ Trump said on Truth Social.
Musk fired back, with the SpaceX chief saying he would begin ‘decommissioning’ his company’s Dragon spacecraft in response.
Trump hit back at Musk’s escalating claims by suggesting the entrepreneur’s multibillion-dollar government contracts could be taken away
Donald Trump has been urged to immediately seize control of SpaceX after Elon Musk threatened to leave NASA astronauts stranded in space following a massive fall out with the president
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft is vital for ferrying NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Pictured, the SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California
On his ‘War Room Live’ broadcast Bannon urged the president to seize SpaceX from Musk under the Defense Production Act – a national security measure dating back to the Korean War era – to seize control of the company.
‘The United States government should take possession of it,’ Bannon declared.
In practice, seizing SpaceX which is a private company would prove difficult.
While the Defense Production Act gives the president broad powers to prioritize contracts deemed necessary for national defense, expand productive capacity and supply of critical goods and materials and allocate resources like energy, materials, or services, it does not explicitly authorize outright seizure or nationalization of private companies.
Trump could target Musk in other ways, such as targeting his contracts, clearances, and federal partnerships.
Bannon then went on to demand Trump initiate deportation proceedings against Musk.
‘Elon Musk is here illegally. He’s got to go,’ Bannon said, despite the fact that Musk, originally from South Africa, has been a naturalized US citizen for more than twenty years.
Steve Bannon, center, a former senior adviser to Trump during his first administration and a fierce critic of Elon Musk, has called for the president to seize SpaceX from the billionaire
‘They should initiate a formal investigation of his immigration status because I am of the strong belief that he is an illegal alien, and he should be deported from the country immediately,’ Bannon said in a phone interview Thursday with The New York Times.
Later on his show, Bannon – who has long openly criticized the billionaire – called Musk an ‘unstable individual’ and a ‘national security issue,’ pointing to The New York Times report that charted the DOGE leader’s drug use.
‘President Trump is a bull and Elon is a baby calf,’ Bannon also said.
Following the disintegration of Trump and Musk’s relationship, the SpaceX CEO posted on X that he had decided to decommission his company’s Dragon spacecraft ‘immediately.’
The decommissioning of the Dragon capsule would leave NASA without a proven American spacecraft capable of sending and retrieving astronauts from the space station, of which there are currently four onboard.
Bannon then went on to demand Trump initiate deportation proceedings against Musk. Pictured, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are seen in October 2024
Bannon suggested Musk be stripped of his security clearance and that all federal contracts awarded to Musk’s various enterprises be suspended pending a full-scale investigation
Just two months ago, Musk’s Dragon spacecraft came to the rescue of astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were stranded on board the ISS for 286 days.
NASA also has a contract with Boeing, who is working on fixing their Starliner spacecraft, but the project has been plagued with problems that have left the craft untrustworthy for carrying humans to space at this time.
The spat between Musk and Trump earlier broke out after the SpaceX boss voiced his opposition to the Republican-led ‘big, beautiful bill.’
The budget reconciliation bill will reportedly add trillions to the national deficit, a move that enraged Musk and prompted his departure from the Trump Administration.
Musk had been overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which had reported saving the US tens of billions of dollars on so-called wasteful government projects.
DOGE’s goal had been to get that number into the trillions.
Following his departure, a war of words broke out between Musk and the president over social media.
Earlier on Thursday, Musk claimed that Trump is ‘in the Epstein files,’ dramatically escalating the tensions between the billionaires.
Musk also suggested that Trump should be impeached and replaced with 40-year-old Vice President JD Vance.
Moments before the Epstein charge, Trump had taken to Truth Social and said he had asked Musk to leave his administration and said the billionaire went ‘CRAZY!’
The president then found a new way of saving money in the federal budget, posting that he could cut ‘Billions and Billions of Dollars’ by ending the government’s partnership with both of Musk’s companies – SpaceX and Tesla.
NASA used a SpaceX Dragon capsule in March to rescue 2 NASA astronauts from the International Space Station after their Boeing Starliner craft failed 9 months earlier
SpaceX has been awarded over $17 billion in government contracts since 2015, according to ABC News. Much of that money comes from NASA and the Department of Defense.
Tesla has also received approximately $1 billion according to the latest figures from February.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, developed as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, is a reusable spacecraft designed to transport cargo and astronauts to the ISS.
It consists of a reusable capsule for the astronauts and an expendable trunk module, launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket.
There have been two main variants of the capsule: the Dragon 1, which only carried cargo and has been retired, and the Dragon 2, which carries astronauts and cargo to space.
A third variant, Dragon XL, has been in development as part of NASA’s Lunar Gateway project, but it’s not yet operational.
Dragon XL would be capable of carrying cargo to a new base on the moon. It’s unknown if the project will be cancelled as part of Musk’s declaration to decommission the Dragon capsules.
Musk seemed to make matters worse for himself after agreeing with a posting on X that Trump should be impeached and replaced with 40-year-old Vice President J.D. Vance amid their fiery falling out.
X User Ian Miles Cheong wrote: ‘President vs Elon. Who wins? My money’s on Elon. Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should replace him.’
‘Yes,’ Musk responded.
He also predicted that Trump’s tariff policy would create economic turmoil.
‘The Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year,’ Musk said.
The impeachment call comes after Musk made the eye-popping claim that the president is ‘in the Epstein files’.
Trump and Musk spectacularly broke up on Thursday with Musk publicly encouraging Trump to be impeached. Pictured, the pair are seen in the Oval Office in March
Elon Musk answered ‘yes’ when one X user floated impeaching President Donald Trump and replacing him with 40-year-old Vice President J.D. Vance
The spectacular fallout between Trump and Musk – who were political allies for a little less than a year – started in recent weeks when the billionaire started resisting Republicans’ ‘big, beautiful bill,’ arguing that the spending wiped out DOGE’s cost-cutting efforts.
The fractures in their relationship were made plain for all to see.
Whilst Trump was hosting the new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office he was asked about Musk’s recent criticism. From there, the dam broke.
‘Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will any more, I was surprised,’ Trump told reporters.
The president suggested that Musk was angry – not over the bill ballooning the deficit – but because the Trump administration has pulled back on electric vehicle mandates, which negatively impacted Tesla, and replaced the Musk-approved nominee to lead NASA, which could hinder SpaceX‘s government contracts.
‘And you know, Elon’s upset because we took the EV mandate, which was a lot of money for electric vehicles, and they’re having a hard time the electric vehicles and they want us to pay billions of dollars in subsidy,’ Trump said. ‘I know that disburbed him.’
President Donald Trump attends a meeting with the Fraternal Order of Police in the State Dinning Room, taking a brief break from his all-day war with former DOGE leader Elon Musk
Over the weekend, Trump pulled the nomination of Jared Isaacman to lead NASA.
Isaacman had worked alongside Musk at SpaceX.
‘He recommended somebody that I guess he knew very well, I’m sure he respected him, to run NASA and I didn’t think it was appropriate and he happened to be a Democrat, like totally Democrat,’ Trump continued. ‘We won, we get certain privileges and one of the privileges is we don’t have to appoint a Democrat.’
Musk posted to X while Trump’s Q&A with reporters was ongoing.
‘Whatever,’ the billionaire wrote.
‘Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill,’ he advised.
‘In the entire history of civilization, there has never been legislation that [is] both big and beautiful. Everyone knows this!’ Musk continued. ‘Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill. Slim and beautiful is the way.’
The spat quickly turned personal with Musk then posting that Trump would have lost the 2024 election had it not been for the world’s richest man – him.
Elon Musk affirmed Thursday that he would like to see Vice President J.D. Vance take President Donald Trump’s place after he and Trump got in a very public spat
Elon Musk objected to President Donald Trump’s claim that Trump would have won Pennsylvania – and the 2024 election – without the help from the world’s richest man. ‘Such ingratitude,’ Musk commented
Musk had publicly endorsed Trump on the heels of the July 13th assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania and poured around $290 million of his fortune into the Republican’s campaign.
The billionaire also joined Trump on the campaign trail when he returned to the site of the Butler shooting in early October, a month before Election Day.
Trump said in the Oval that he likely still would have won Pennsylvania without Musk’s help and because Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris didn’t choose the state’s governor, Josh Shapiro, to be her running mate.
Even with Shapiro on the ticket, Trump claimed, ‘I would have won Pennsylvania, I would have won by a lot.’
Musk said that was laughable.
‘Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,’ Musk claimed.
‘Such ingratitude,’ the billionaire added.
The 53-year-old Musk also asserted he had more staying power than the 78-year-old president.
It was less than a week ago that President Donald Trump celebrated Elon Musk’s time in his administration. The pair are pictured in October 2024
‘Oh and some food for thought as they ponder this question: Trump has 3.5 years left as President, but I will be around for 40+ years,’ Musk said Thursday afternoon, responding to a post from MAGA agitator Laura Loomer.
Loomer said she was reporting from Capitol Hill and that Republican lawmakers were trying to determine if it was better to side with Trump or Musk.
After his meeting with Merz, Trump continued to throw punches online.
Trump asserted that he had asked Musk to leave his administration and said the billionaire went ‘CRAZY!’
‘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!’ Trump wrote.
The president then threatened to pull SpaceX and Tesla’s government contracts.
‘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!’ Trump wrote.
Elon Musk dramatically charged that President Donald Trump’s name appears in the files of known pedophile Jeffrey Epstein
This 1997 photo shows then real estate developer Donald Trump (right) alongside Jeffrey Epstein (left), the pedophile sex offender who died in prison in 2019
Musk then taunted Trump to act.
‘This just gets better and better,’ he wrote. ‘Go ahead, make my day …’
In a follow-up post, Musk said he would ‘begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.’
The Dragon is how NASA astronauts currently travel to the International Space Station – and how supplies make it there.
As the fight continued, Tesla shares plummeted.
Anti-semitic rapper Kanye West even got involved.
‘Broooos please noooooo. We love you both so much,’ West wrote.
And Musk threw the Epstein bomb.
‘@RealDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public,’ Musk wrote. ‘Have a nice day, DJT!’
Jeffrey Epstein is a serial child sex offender who died in prison in 2019.
Trump pledged to release the files related to Epstein, with Attorney General Pam Bondi releasing some pages in February, but most of that information was already in the public domain.
‘Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out,’ Musk added.
Trump didn’t directly respond to Musk’s Epstein charge, instead posting what amounted to a shrug on Truth Social, while also continuing to back the ‘big, beautiful bill.’
‘I don’t mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago,’ Trump wrote. ‘This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress.’
Later he ignored shouted questions from reporters on Musk’s Epstein charge as he hosted the National Fraternal Order of Police executive board in the State Dining Room.
Asked for comment, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Daily Mail in a statement: ‘This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted.’
‘The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again,’ Leavitt added.
A source familiar pointed out to the Daily Mail that ‘everyone knows President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his Palm Beach Golf Club.’
‘The Administration itself released Epstein files with the President’s name included. This is not a new surprise Elon is uncovering. Everyone already knew this,’ the source continued.
The source also mused, ‘If Elon truly thought the President was more deeply involved with Epstein, why did he hangout with him for 6 months and say he ‘loves him as much as a straight man can love a straight man?”
It was less than a week ago that Trump gave Musk a golden key and a DOGE send-off from the Oval Office.
