Flickr – Alesha Murfit (right)
The star-crossed relationships between Hollywood movie stars have nothing on the bromance between Donald Trump and Elon Musk. The two billionaires became very close during the 2024 election season as Musk threw his considerable fortune behind both Trump and several other Republican lawmakers.
But as fast as the two men initially got together, they have now fallen apart. The dissolution of the relationship has been marked by intense mudslinging between the two men. Let’s take a look at the history of the relationship between the two powerful men.
Elon Musk Was Mostly Liberal for His First Decade in the Public Eye
The South African-born Musk made his fortune as the founder of PayPal but became a public figure through his leadership of the electric vehicle company Tesla. And since electric vehicles were more popular among liberals and less popular among conservatives, Musk tended to support Democratic causes.
Musk supported Democrats in 2012, 2016, and 2020, and he says that he voted for Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden. By the 2020 election, though, Musk was giving more money to Republican candidates than ever before.
The Billionaire’s Politics Were Changing After He Purchased Twitter/X
Musk may have been willing to vote for Joe Biden in 2020, but he did so begrudgingly. The billionaire quickly soured on Biden after purchasing Twitter in 2022. After changing the name of his website to X, he frequently utilized the massive platform to criticize the president.
In 2022, Musk declared that he would be supporting Republicans for Congress and that the power needed to be balanced with a Democrat in office. He had yet to become a fan of Donald Trump, and he threw his support and financial backing behind Florida Governor Ron DeSantis during the Republican primary.
Musk Became an Especially Strong Supporter After an Assassination Attempt on Trump
Ron DeSantis was expected to give Trump a real challenge for the Republican nomination, but that failed to materialize, and Trump became the party’s standard bearer again. On July 13th, 2024, in Pennsylvania, a young man attempted to assassinate Trump during a political rally.
This was the moment when Musk decided to throw his full support behind Trump, which included not only the Tesla CEO’s fans but also his nearly unlimited financial backing. Picking up Musk’s endorsement was a huge boon to Trump’s chances.
Musk Was Given Significant Power After Trump Was Elected
Musk’s support meant that not only did Trump get his backing, but also access to his deep pockets, as he created a lottery system that gave people in swing states the chance to win money. The Tesla CEO helped to create a media storm at every event.
Once Trump won the presidency, he wanted to reward Musk for his support but didn’t want to put the billionaire in a situation where he’d need Senate approval. Musk was made a Special Government Employee. This means that he could only work for 130 days in a calendar year.
Musk’s Doge Initiative Has Been Heavily Criticized
The Tesla CEO made a spectacle of his new role, appearing with a chainsaw to represent all the cuts his group, the Department of Government Efficiency, was going to make within the government. The group went to work making mass firings at various government agencies.
Democrats were quick to accuse Musk of attacking agencies with which he disagreed and making arbitrary firings. Republican lawmakers were also upset, saying that the cuts didn’t go far enough and didn’t save enough money.
Trump’s New Tax Bill Would Hurt Musk’s Bottom Line
As Musk’s 130-day period came to an end, Donald Trump began to promote his new tax bill, referring to it as “the big, beautiful bill.” The bill barely passed through Congress, with critics saying that it takes from the poor to give to the rich. It now needs Senate approval to pass.
Trump’s proposal would also hurt Musk, as it would eliminate tax credits for electric vehicles, costing Tesla billions of dollars. The billionaire was also upset with the amount of money that the bill would add to the national deficit.
Musk Accused Trump of Being Listed in the Epstein Files
After calling Trump’s bill a “disgusting abomination,” Musk continued to rail against the Trump spending bill, as many noted that the Tesla CEO was being used as a fall guy for Trump’s issues. Musk’s increasingly rising anger culminated in a Thursday post on X, where he stated that the president is mentioned in the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Republicans have long said that the complete files from the disgraced and deceased pedophile should be released to the public. According to Musk, this has yet to happen because Donald Trump is mentioned in the files.
Trump Accused Musk of Having Trump Derangement Syndrome
Trump is upset about Musk’s remarks and criticisms but has been unusually measured in his response. The president responded on social media, saying he was disappointed in Musk and that his actions were “wearing thin.” The Republican even accused his friend of having “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Trump was again measured on Friday when he was asked about the dissolution of his relationship with Musk. He said that he has not spent much time thinking about Musk. Trump also said that he did not see himself talking with his fellow billionaire for quite some time.
Where Do We Go From Here
It will take time to see whether the tiff with Musk will hurt Trump in the long run. Currently, the situation is benefiting Trump. Many of Trump’s early moves, such as his tax bill and his tariff policy, have been unpopular with voters. The issue with Musk has been an effective distraction from those issues.
Still, Musk has an axe to grind against the president and more money than anyone else on the planet. Just as he was able to use his fortune to help Trump, he could also use it to hurt him by backing Democratic candidates in essential elections around the country.
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