The drama between Donald Trump and Elon Musk has been playing out for everyone to see, especially on social media, and it’s obvious that something went terribly wrong between them. At one point, the two seemed to be a powerful team. Musk had been appointed as the head of DOGE and was given major responsibilities, even the power to influence government decisions. Their partnership looked solid and full of potential.
But everything began to fall apart when Musk’s term in government came to an end. He had to leave the White House along with his team, and after that, things quickly turned sour. Musk didn’t just walk away quietly—he had a very public outburst and began attacking Trump online. One of the most shocking moments came when Musk tweeted that Trump’s name appeared in the Epstein files. That tweet was later deleted, but the damage had already been done.
On June 12, during a ceremony where Trump signed California’s electric vehicle mandate, he spoke directly about the tension between him and Musk. He said, “Now I know why Elon doesn’t like me so much,” and then quickly added, “Which he does actually, he does.” Trump also admitted he was always puzzled by Musk’s past support, saying he used to think, “I’m amazed that he’s endorsing me because that can’t be good for him.” He even remembered asking Musk about it because the situation felt so unusual. According to Trump, Musk replied, “Well, as long as it’s happening to everybody, I’ll be able to compete,” which Trump found to be an interesting response.
Things seemed to be going well back then, but once Musk left his government position, everything started to unravel. Trump addressed this change in behavior, saying, “Elon doesn’t like me. He got a little bit strange, but I don’t know why. Over much smaller things than that.” The tension seemed to grow beyond simple disagreements.
According to PEOPLE magazine, some insiders believe the fallout even affected other people close to Musk. There are rumors that Trump withdrew his nomination of Jared Isaacman for the role of NASA administrator because of Musk’s public criticism of a major policy, referred to as the “Big Beautiful Bill.” Isaacman, who is also a tech billionaire, had worked closely with Musk and SpaceX before.
Isaacman discussed the situation on The All-In Podcast, revealing that he found out about the change on May 30—the same day Trump and Musk held their last press conference together in the Oval Office. He said, “I don’t think that the timing was much of a coincidence.” He added that he had spent the past six months in Washington, D.C., preparing for the NASA role and believed some people targeted him because they had personal grudges, making him an easy and visible target.
Even though Musk had been harsh in his online criticism of Trump, he appeared to start walking back some of his comments. In a post made just after 3 a.m. Eastern Time on June 11, Musk expressed regret, writing that he started to “regret some of my posts about President [Donald Trump].” When asked about this, Trump gave a surprisingly warm response in a phone interview with The New York Times, saying, “I thought it was very nice that he did that.”
Now, with both men softening their tone and possibly moving toward reconciliation, the big question is whether they will fully mend their relationship. Only time will tell if this strange chapter in their partnership will end with peace or if more surprises are yet to come.
