MediaPemalang.com – The friendship that once shocked the world between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk has now turned into open war. The two attacked each other on their respective social media platforms, sparking global concerns about the political and economic stability of the United States.
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The tensions stemmed from Musk’s criticism of a massive tax and spending bill backed by Trump, nicknamed “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Musk called the bill a “disgusting abomination” that would balloon the country’s budget deficit to $2.5 trillion.
From Allies to Opponents
Relations between the two heated up just days after Musk officially resigned from his position as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk previously spent about $277 million on Trump’s campaign and the Republican Party in the 2024 election, making him the largest donor.
“Without me, Trump would have lost the election. The Democrats would have controlled the House and the Republicans would have only won 51-49 in the Senate. It’s unacceptable,” Musk wrote in X.
Trump hits back
Trump did not remain silent. Via Truth Social, the president called Musk “finished” and admitted he had asked him to leave the government. Trump accused Musk’s anger of being financially motivated because electric vehicle subsidies were removed from the bill.
“It would be easy to save money in our budget, billions and billions of dollars, by ending Elon’s government subsidies and contracts,” Trump wrote.
This threat is not a figment. SpaceX holds NASA’s vital contract to transport American astronauts to the International Space Station. If the contract is revoked, the impact could cripple the US space program.
The Shocking Epstein Accusations
The escalation reached its peak when Musk made a shocking accusation: the claim that Trump’s name was in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation documents, and that was the real reason the documents were not made public.
“Time to drop a big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in Epstein’s dossier. That’s the real reason they weren’t made public,” Musk wrote without providing evidence.
The White House declined to comment directly on the allegations. Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt stated only that Musk was “unhappy that his beautiful bill doesn’t include the policies he wants.”
Impact on Global Markets
Tesla shares plunged as much as 14 percent in a single trading day, wiping more than $150 billion from the company’s market capitalization. This decline was the worst in two days since November 2021.
Musk threatened to stop operations of SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which is crucial for transporting NASA astronauts, but dropped the threat several hours later.
Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives maintained an outperform rating on Tesla shares with a $500 price target, saying the situation “will subside because ultimately Musk needs Trump and Trump needs Musk in the AI race against China.”
Trump’s meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House on the same day was overshadowed by journalists’ questions about the feud with Musk, showing how seriously this conflict is disrupting the Trump administration’s agenda.
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