June 3
On June 3, 2025, at 3:32 p.m EST, Musk warned bill supporters: "In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people".[27] Three hours later, he called the "pork-filled" bill a "disgusting abomination". In the next two days, Musk continued, asking for a bill that does not increase the debt ceiling, saying that bankrupting America was not acceptable, and asking to "KILL the BILL".[26] Republicans' endorsement of the bill did not change.[28]
June 5
Shortly before noon, Trump sat with German chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office and answered journalists' questions for more than 40 minutes on live TV.[29] When asked about Musk's criticism of the bill, Trump said that he was "disappointed" because he "always liked Elon", that Musk was critical because of the cuts to electric vehicle subsidies, and that he would have won Pennsylvania without him. While the interview went on, Musk fired back that Trump could keep his subsidies as long as the bill was "slim and beautiful". Trump also said Musk knew the bill "better than anybody" and that his Washington nostalgia may have turned to derangement; Musk responded that he was never shown the bill, that Trump would have lost the election if not for him, and ended with "such ingratitude".[30]
Later Musk re-shared 2012–13 posts he found hours earlier in which Trump and various Republicans were chastising Congress on deficits.[31]
America Party
Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle? June 5, 2025
In a tweet posted at 1:57pm ET,[32] Musk floated the creation of a political party to represent the "eighty percent in the middle".[33] Half an hour later, Musk replied to Laura Loomer that "Trump has 3.5 years left as President", but that he will be around for more than 40 years.[31] With more than 80% of "yes" votes to his poll, Musk proposed at 6:07pm ET to name the new hypothetical party "The America Party".
Flurry of threats
Time to drop the really big bomb:
@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.
Have a nice day, DJT! June 5, 2025 After the press conference, Trump turned to Truth Social to address the situation.
America Party
Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle? June 5, 2025
In a tweet posted at 1:57pm ET,[32] Musk floated the creation of a political party to represent the "eighty percent in the middle".[33] Half an hour later, Musk replied to Laura Loomer that "Trump has 3.5 years left as President", but that he will be around for more than 40 years.[31] With more than 80% of "yes" votes to his poll, Musk proposed at 6:07pm ET to name the new hypothetical party "The America Party".
Flurry of threats
Time to drop the really big bomb:
@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.
Have a nice day, DJT! June 5, 2025 After the press conference, Trump turned to Truth Social to address the situation. He repeated that Musk went "CRAZY" about the "EV Mandate", which Musk immediately called a lie. Trump then threatened to cut Musk's government contracts.[35] In response, Musk said that Trump was in the Epstein files,[35] and shared a 1992 video of Trump partying with Jeffrey Epstein.[36][37]
Musk then stated that SpaceX was decommissioning its Dragon 2 spacecraft
Tariffs and truce
Musk reiterated that tariffs would cause a recession in the second half of 2025.[40][41]
Later that evening, Musk responded to hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman's plea that the country was stronger when Musk and Trump were allies, saying he was not wrong. Politico reported that Musk and Trump were scheduled to be on a call to reconcile.[42]
Cutting ties
Musk unfollowed the Twitter accounts of Stephen Miller, Trump's deputy chief of staff for policy and his homeland security advisor;[43] he also unfollowed Charlie Kirk, a right-wing influencer;[44] the two men appeared on Kirk's show to praise the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
June 6
Late in the night of June 5, Musk approved of a tweet stating that the two main parties have no political will to reduce the national debt.[31] Early on June 6, Trump told ABC News that Musk had "lost his mind" and that he was not interested in speaking to Musk,[1] and repeated in a CNN interview that he won't be speaking to him in the near future.[45] The White House later stated that no call between Trump and Musk was planned.[46] A White House official later said that Trump was considering selling the red Tesla Model S he received from Musk.[47]
According to Bloomberg News, Trump aides signaled that Trump was moving on and that he would not cancel Musk's government contracts.
June 7
In a morning interview with NBC News on June 7, Trump stated that he did not wish to reconcile with Musk, and added that Musk would face 'very serious consequences' if he funded Democrats.[53] Trump also mentioned having saved Musk's life during his first administration.[54]
In an interview with Theo Von aired on June 7 but recorded on June 5,[55] JD Vance said that he will always stand by Trump's side, that Musk made a huge mistake, and that he wished Musk returned "into the fold".[56] Vance also conceded that the bill "wasn't perfect".[57]
By the morning, several tweets were deleted from Musk's account: the Epstein accusation, the call to impeachment, and the claim that Trump would not have won without his help.
Détente
On June 9, during ongoing protests in Los Angeles, Musk deleted his posts calling for Trump's impeachment and praised the Trump administration's actions towards the protesters. During a press conference the same day, Trump also shifted his stance on Musk saying, "We had a good relationship, I wish him well, very well".[61] Late in the evening, the President took a call from Musk, which led the following day to a public admission of regret.[62] The next day, it was further reported that Musk had a call with Trump, where he expressed remorse for attacking Trump.[63][64]
On June 11, Musk publicly stated via Twitter that he regretted some of his posts about Trump because "they went too far", and Trump showed appreciation for the apology.[65][66]
Reprisal
Musk renewed his attack on Trump's Big Beautiful Bill in late June.[73][74][75] On June 28, Musk wrote on Twitter "The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country," and that it would be "political suicide for the Republican Party".[76] On June 30, Trump threatened to use DOGE, an initiative that Musk once headed, to look into Musk's business contracts with the government.[77] On July 1, Musk said he will donate to the reelection campaign of Rep. Thomas Massie, who was opposed to Trump's bill.[78] The same day, Trump stated he would "take a look" at the possibility of deporting Musk.[79]
August 6
During a press conference on August 6, a reporter asked Trump about the accuracy of a recent Gallup poll which stated that Musk was the "most unpopular figure" in the United States and if he missed Musk. Trump responded that he was unsure of the poll's accuracy, acknowledged that Musk "had a bad moment", but also said that Musk was "a good person."[82]
Public reunion
During Charlie Kirk's memorial service in Glendale, Arizona, Trump and Musk were observed engaging in conversation and handshakes with each other.[83][84] Musk posted a picture of his interaction with Trump on X with the caption "For Charlie",[85] implying that their tensions have been resolved.[86] The White House shared social media posts of their reunion.[87][88]
A few days later, Musk's xAI reached an agreement with the General Services Administration to provide federal agencies with Grok at a bargain price for two years.
