Musk Declares War on Trump Over “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” and EV Cuts
Allies No More: Political Power Struggle Erupts Between Billionaire Tech Mogul and the President He Helped Elect
WASHINGTON — The once-mighty alliance between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump has spectacularly imploded. What began as policy disagreements over Trump’s massive new tax-and-spending bill has escalated into a full-blown political war, complete with personal insults, economic fallout, and talk of a new centrist political party.
Musk, who was once a top backer of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and poured nearly $300 million into pro-Trump and Republican efforts, took to X on Thursday with a searing accusation: “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.”
“Such ingratitude,” Musk added.
The post triggered an avalanche of media coverage, a market drop for Tesla, and a retaliatory statement from Trump on Truth Social accusing Musk of having “just went crazy” over electric vehicle subsidies and threatening to pull his government contracts.
“One, Big, Beautiful Bill” Sparks a Billionaire’s Revolt
At the center of the conflict is Trump’s signature economic package—nicknamed the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill”—a sweeping tax and spending measure expected to add over $2.5 trillion to the national debt in the next decade.
While the bill includes expanded subsidies for fossil fuel producers, it strips away federal support for electric vehicles and solar energy initiatives—key industries for Musk’s companies, Tesla and SolarCity.
Musk launched a campaign this week to “Kill the Bill,” arguing it is packed with unnecessary earmarks, pork spending, and corporate favors. On X, he 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.”
Trump, in a public Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, shot back by mocking Musk’s lobbying effort and claiming Musk had already privately lobbied him to spare Tesla. “He didn’t get what he wanted, so now he’s having a tantrum,” Trump reportedly told aides, according to Politico.
Tesla Stock Tanks Amid Political Drama
As the feud played out on social media, financial markets reacted sharply. Tesla shares plunged more than 10% in a single day, with investors worried that Trump’s threat to cancel SpaceX and Tesla’s federal contracts could become reality. Together, those contracts represent billions in ongoing government work, including key NASA and Department of Defense missions.
Musk, unfazed by the market reaction, continued the offensive. In another X post, he shared screenshots of Trump’s past tweets decrying deficit spending, asking, “Where is this guy today?” He also called Trump’s claim that he had read and understood the bill before passage “false,” adding: “This bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!”
GOP Civil War Brewing as Musk Teases Third Party
The public meltdown has triggered speculation that Musk is positioning himself as the ideological leader of a post-Trump Republican movement—or perhaps something entirely new.
In a Thursday night poll posted to his millions of X followers, Musk asked: “Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?”
The poll quickly racked up over 1.5 million responses, with a majority saying “yes.” Later, Musk commented: “Trump has 3.5 years left as President, but I will be around for 40+ years…” hinting at ambitions far beyond electric vehicles and rocket ships.
For now, no formal third-party effort has materialized, but insiders note that Musk’s massive online following and financial firepower could pose a serious challenge to both political parties if he chooses to act.
Fallout, Loyalty, and a Future in Flux
The sudden rupture has blindsided Trump advisors who once saw Musk as a key policy ally and tech visionary. Just last week, Trump praised Musk as a “brilliant friend” during an Oval Office photo op.
That praise is now gone. So is any hope of reconciliation.
Democrats, meanwhile, are watching the Republican fracture with open amusement. “This was always going to end in disaster,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a statement to CNN. “You can’t build policy on ego and billionaires.”
What happens next will have major implications: for the economy, for U.S. energy policy, and for the future of the GOP.
The Bottom Line
This isn’t just a political spat. It’s a high-stakes fight between two men who helped shape 21st-century America—and now seek to remake it in their own images. With the bill still in play and Musk on the warpath, the question isn’t just who wins this feud. It’s what kind of country emerges from it.
