The once-friendly relationship between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump has erupted into a dramatic public feud after Musk endorsed a call to impeach Trump and replace him with Vice President J.D. Vance.
It began when X user Ian Miles Cheong wrote that Trump should be removed and replaced by Vance, to which Musk simply replied: “Yes.” Musk later warned that Trump’s tariff policies would cause a recession in the second half of the year and accused the president of appearing in Jeffrey Epstein’s files, claiming that this was the reason they haven’t been fully released.
He also threatened to deactivate SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which are currently used by NASA to transport astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station, in response to Trump’s threat to cancel his government contracts. Steve Bannon, one of Trump’s longtime advisers, labeled Musk a “national security risk” and suggested he should be deported, claiming Musk might be an illegal immigrant.
The feud escalated after Musk criticized the Republican-backed spending bill, saying it undermined cost-cutting efforts at his companies. Trump responded by saying Musk was upset over the removal of electric vehicle subsidies and the withdrawal of his preferred nominee to lead NASA. Trump said he had asked Musk to leave his administration and claimed, “he went CRAZY!” Musk fired back on X, sarcastically daring Trump to cancel the contracts and calling the legislation full of “disgusting pork,” arguing that bills should be “slim and beautiful” rather than “big and ugly.”
Musk also claimed that Trump would have lost the 2024 election without his support, saying Democrats would control the House and Senate if not for the $290 million he poured into Trump’s campaign. “Such ingratitude,” Musk added. He also declared he’d be around “for 40+ years” compared to Trump’s remaining 3.5 years in office.
Kanye West even weighed in, posting, “Broooos please noooooo. We love you both so much.” Trump downplayed the fallout, posting on Truth Social that he didn’t mind Musk turning on him but said it should have happened sooner. He continued defending his “Big Beautiful Bill” and ignored reporters’ questions about Musk’s Epstein accusation during a White House event. A Trump insider noted that Trump had previously banned Epstein from his Palm Beach club and that Musk’s claim was old news. “If Elon truly believed Trump was deeply involved with Epstein, why did he hang out with him for six months and say he ‘loves him as much as a straight man can love another straight man’?” the source asked sarcastically.