For the latest updates on the feud read our blog here
Trump says he has no desire to fix his relationship with Musk, even after the former 'first buddy' deletes his X posts
President Donald Trump says he has no desire to repair his relationship with Elon Musk.
He also said Musk would face "serious consequences" if he funds Democrats.
Meanwhile, Musk deleted some of his most incendiary X posts on Saturday.
It seems Elon Musk won't be President Donald Trump's "first buddy" again anytime soon.
Trump told NBC News on Saturday that he has no plans to repair his relationship with Musk after it imploded this week. When asked if their relationship is done, Trump said, simply, "I would assume so, yeah."
"I think it's a very bad thing, because he's very disrespectful. You could not disrespect the office of the President," Trump said.
The epic and very public fallout began after Musk criticized Trump's tax bill, which the president calls his "One Big Beautiful Bill."
During Thursday's dramatic exchange, which took place mostly on the social media networks each billionaire owns, Trump threatened to terminate Musk's government contracts and subsidies. Musk shot back that Trump was in the so-called "Epstein files" in a now-deleted post.
"If he does, he'll have to pay the consequences for that," Trump said. "He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that."
Last month, Musk said he would spend "a lot less" on political campaigns in the future. He spent hundreds of millions in support of Trump in 2024.
"If I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it," Musk said at the Qatar Economic Forum last month. "I do not currently see a reason."
Meanwhile, Musk deleted some of his most incendiary X posts on Saturday.
It seems Elon Musk won't be President Donald Trump's "first buddy" again anytime soon.
Trump told NBC News on Saturday that he has no plans to repair his relationship with Musk after it imploded this week. When asked if their relationship is done, Trump said, simply, "I would assume so, yeah."
"I think it's a very bad thing, because he's very disrespectful. You could not disrespect the office of the President," Trump said.
The epic and very public fallout began after Musk criticized Trump's tax bill, which the president calls his "One Big Beautiful Bill."
During Thursday's dramatic exchange, which took place mostly on the social media networks each billionaire owns, Trump threatened to terminate Musk's government contracts and subsidies. Musk shot back that Trump was in the so-called "Epstein files" in a now-deleted post.
"If he does, he'll have to pay the consequences for that," Trump said. "He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that."
Last month, Musk said he would spend "a lot less" on political campaigns in the future. He spent hundreds of millions in support of Trump in 2024.
"If I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it," Musk said at the Qatar Economic Forum last month. "I do not currently see a reason."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Business Insider that passing the tax bill is the president's priority.
"President Trump and the entire Administration will continue the important mission of cutting waste, fraud, and abuse from our federal government on behalf of taxpayers, and the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill is critical to helping accomplish that mission," Leavitt said in a statement.
Representatives for Musk did not respond to a request for comment from BI.
On Saturday, Vice President JD Vance said it was a "huge mistake" for Musk to "go after the president" during the newest episode of "This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von."
"I'm not saying he has to agree with the bill or agree with everything that I'm saying," Vance said. "I just think it's a huge mistake for the world's wealthiest man, I think one of the most transformational entrepreneurs ever — that's Elon — to be at this war with the world's most powerful man."
During the interview, Vance said he thinks everything will be fine between the pair if Musk "chills out a little bit."
"But I think he's been very restrained because the president doesn't think that he needs to be in a blood feud with Elon Musk, and I actually think if Elon chilled out a little bit, everything would be fine," Vance said.
Musk responded to Vance's comment on X on Saturday, writing, simply, "Cool."
Read the original article on Business Insider
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Business Insider that passing the tax bill is the president's priority.
"President Trump and the entire Administration will continue the important mission of cutting waste, fraud, and abuse from our federal government on behalf of taxpayers, and the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill is critical to helping accomplish that mission," Leavitt said in a statement.
Representatives for Musk did not respond to a request for comment from BI.
On Saturday, Vice President JD Vance said it was a "huge mistake" for Musk to "go after the president" during the newest episode of "This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von."
"I'm not saying he has to agree with the bill or agree with everything that I'm saying," Vance said. "I just think it's a huge mistake for the world's wealthiest man, I think one of the most transformational entrepreneurs ever — that's Elon — to be at this war with the world's most powerful man."
During the interview, Vance said he thinks everything will be fine between the pair if Musk "chills out a little bit."
"But I think he's been very restrained because the president doesn't think that he needs to be in a blood feud with Elon Musk, and I actually think if Elon chilled out a little bit, everything would be fine," Vance said.
Musk responded to Vance's comment on X on Saturday, writing, simply, "Cool."
Read the original article on Business Insider
Trump says relationship with Musk is over
US President Donald Trump has said his relationship with Elon Musk is over.
"I would assume so, yeah," Trump told NBC News on Saturday, when asked if he thought the pair's close relationship had ended. He replied "No" when asked if he wished to mend the damaged ties.
The comments were Trump's latest since the epic fallout between him and Musk unravelled on social media.
It came after the tech billionaire - who donated millions to Trump's election campaign and became a White House aide - publicly criticised the president's tax and spending bill, a key domestic policy.
Vance told podcaster Theo Von that it was a "big mistake" for the Tesla and SpaceX CEO to attack the president.
For weeks, Musk had been criticising Trump's signature legislation - dubbed the "Big Beautiful Bill" - as it made its way through Congress.
He said that, if passed, the bill would add trillions of dollars to the national deficit and "undermine" the work he did as the head of Doge, the Department of Government Efficiency, and its efforts to cut government spending.
On Thursday, however, Trump told reporters he was "disappointed" with Musk's behaviour.
Musk responded with a flurry of posts on X, saying that Trump would have lost the election without him and accusing Trump of being implicated in files of Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier who died in jail awaiting sex trafficking charges.
He has since deleted the post and Epstein's lawyer has come out denying the accusations.
In his interview with NBC News on Saturday, Trump said Musk had been "disrespectful to the office of the president".
"I think it's a very bad thing, because he's very disrespectful. You could not disrespect the office of the president," Trump said.
Musk, the world's richest man, who donated roughly $250m to Trump's presidential campaign, suggested during the social media feud that he might back some of Trump's opponents during next year's midterm elections, throwing his support behind challengers to the lawmakers who supported Trump's tax bill.
Musk’s Allegation Against Trump Is Deleted From Social Media
Amid President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's bitter online war of words, key posts have been deleted from social media.
The most divisive post from Musk alleged that Trump is listed in the files related to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and that this is why they have not been fully released to the public. He did not provide evidence pertaining to this.
But as of early Saturday morning, Musk's Epstein-related post was no longer showing, with X users instead receiving a notice that reads: "Sorry, that post has been deleted."
And it’s not the only post of Musk’s that has been deleted. Another inflammatory post from Thursday, which saw Musk respond “yes,” endorsing a message that said “Trump should be impeached” and that Vance “should replace him,” is also no longer viewable on X.
The deleted posts suggest that the explosive feud between Trump and his one-time ally could be thawing.
Musk’s original posts came as Trump also lobbed insults and threatened to take away government funding and contracts related to billionaire Musk’s Space X company. The row started when Musk aired his grievances with Trump’s "Big, Beautiful Bill," which is being considered by the Senate. The Tesla CEO branded the bill a “disgusting abomination” and told his millions of followers to “call your Senator, call your Congressman… kill the bill.”
Although things appear, for now, to be simmering down, Trump has made it clear he does not have plans to reconcile with Musk.
When asked on Friday night by reporters if he intends to speak with Musk—who until recently served as the lead of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—the President gave a clear response.
However,
when asked if he plans to take back the symbolic White House key that
he gifted to Musk, Trump said that he has no intention of doing that.
"I don't take things back, I gave him a key, he tried very hard,” the President told reporters, praising the efforts of DOGE.
Read More: J.D. Vance Speaks Out After He’s Dragged Into Explosive Row Between Trump and Musk
Trump also appeared to defend Musk against the New York Times’ reported allegations that the Tesla CEO regularly consumed ketamine, ecstasy, and psychedelic mushrooms when traveling with Trump on the campaign trail in 2024.
Trump’s Air Force One remarks, issued late on Friday, came hours after he told ABC News that Musk had “lost his mind.”
Meanwhile,
although Musk's Epstein-related allegation against Trump has since been
deleted, the impact of the initial post continues to be felt.
The
allegation spurred Democrats to chase the full unsealing of the Epstein
files, prompting prominent lawmakers to sign a letter, accompanied by a
press release titled “Is Trump Suppressing The Epstein Files?”
Trump's connection to Epstein dates back decades. In a 2002 interview with New York magazine, he famously said that Epstein was “a lot of fun to be with.”
But after Epstein’s 2019 arrest on federal sex trafficking charges, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office: “I had a falling out with him [Epstein]. I haven’t spoken to him in 15 years. I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you.”
Contact us at letters@time.com
Elon Musk Deletes Anti-Trump Posts From X – Including One Claiming the President Is in the Epstein Files
“Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files,” Musk said in his X post, deleted sometime Friday night. “That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!” Musk wrote on X on Thursday.
“Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out,” Musk added.
Musk did not offer any evidence to support his claim, nor did he provide any explanation for why the posts were deleted.
The messages were part of an extremely public dispute between the two men, who were only recently — within this calendar year — friends united under the banner of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has also claimed Trump could not have won the 2024 election without him (that one is still publicly available).
Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025
“Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore,” Trump told White House reporters Thursday. “I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot.” Trump also said he would have won the election with or without Musk.
Musk has further taken issue with Trump’s planned Big, Beautiful Bill. Trump has suggested the tech entrepreneur is upset because of the proposed cutting of the federal electric vehicle tax credit.
“Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here,” Trump said of Musk. “He only developed [a] problem when he found out that we’re going to have to cut the EV mandate.”
Trump: I’ve no desire to repair rift with Musk
Donald Trump said he has no desire to repair his rift with Elon Musk after the pair descended into a war of words.
The US president also warned the Tesla billionaire he would face “very serious consequences” if he switched his allegiance to the Democrats and funded rival candidates.
In an interview with NBC News on Saturday, Mr Trump said he had “no desire” to speak to Mr Musk, accusing him of being “disrespectful to the office of the President”.
It came after JD Vance, the US vice-president, said Mr Musk had made a “huge mistake” in picking a fight with Mr Trump. He said he hoped he would “come back into the fold”, but acknowledged that might be difficult after he went “nuclear” during a public spat with the president on X on Thursday night.
Mr Musk, who was considered one of Mr Trump’s closest political allies just days ago, went as far as claiming that the US president was named in the Epstein files – the dossier of US government information held on the late paedophile billionaire.
As the disagreement over the president’s flagship spending Bill escalated, Mr Musk also suggested that his former boss should be removed from office.
Mr Trump and Epstein ran in the same social circles in New York and were pictured partying together on various occasions in the 80s and 90s – a clip of which Mr Musk shared on social media.
Epstein killed himself in 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Responding to the tweets on the Epstein files, the president told NBC News: “That’s called ‘old news,’ that’s been old news, that has been talked about for years. Even Epstein’s lawyer said I had nothing to do with it. It’s old news.
In an interview with podcast host Theo Von released on Saturday, Mr Vance urged the president and Mr Musk to bury the hatchet and warned the feud would be destructive.
Credit: YouTube/ Theo Von
As a former Silicon Valley venture capitalist, whom Mr Musk named as his preferred successor to Mr Trump, the vice-president is well-positioned to mediate between the two men.
Mr Vance said his loyalties were “always going to be with the president”, while praising the Tesla boss as an “incredible entrepreneur” and suggesting the row was the result of tensions caused by attacks from critics of the administration.
Mr Musk had “suffered a lot” when he backed Mr Trump in last year’s election and subsequently took a job in the administration with Doge, he added, conceding the president’s budget Bill was “good” but “not perfect”.
Mr Vance continued: “The process in DC, if you’re a business leader, you’re probably frustrated with that process because it’s more bureaucratic, it’s more slow-moving.
“So I think there’s just some frustrations there. But I really… I think it’s just a huge mistake for him to go after the president like that.”
Mr Trump was quick to hit back, claiming that the Tesla billionaire had been irked by the legislation ending tax credit worth billions of dollars to his electric vehicle company.
“He knew it better than almost anybody, and he never had a problem until right after he left,” he said.
The president later said in an Oval Office meeting with Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, that Mr Musk had developed “Trump derangement syndrome” and that he was “very disappointed” in the businessman.
“Reminds me of the Cold War: mutual assured destruction,” an ally of Mr Trump told Politico.
On Friday, Mr Trump claimed Mr Musk had “lost his mind” and is reported to have asked allies whether his behaviour was a result of his alleged heavy drug use, as reported in The New York Times.
Tesla shares tanked as the rift intensified, amid investor fears that Mr Trump might hinder the introduction of self-driving cars in the US, hitting the company’s growth potential.
Steve Bannon, Mr Trump’s chief strategist in the White House, encouraged the president to initiate a formal investigation into Mr Musk’s immigration status and have him “deported from the country immediately”
Trump and Musk’s spectacular split minute-by-minute: How president and First Buddy’s friendship unraveled online
Just last week, President Donald Trump was handing his friend and close aide Elon Musk a golden key to the White House, praising the work the tech billionaire had done for the administration.
“Elon gave an incredible service. There’s nobody like him,” Trump said in a joint press conference with Musk last week.
That press conference was to mark the end of Musk’s time as a special government advisor, leading the Department of Government Efficiency.
But there were rumblings: Musk, whose whole purpose at Doge had been cutting federal government spending, was deeply opposed to Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”
And while White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt had been able to play that difference of opinion off as healthy debate for a while, everything came to a head on Thursday.
Here’s a timeline of how the very public fight between Trump and Musk unfolded.
Trump vs Musk: Minute by minute
1:31 p.m. Washington time, Tuesday, June 3: Musk attacks the Big Beautiful Bill
Writing on X, Musk says: “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”
Two days later, things escalated dramatically.
Midday, Thursday, June 5: Trump says he’s ‘surprised’ by Musk, and ‘disappointed’
In an Oval Office appearance, Trump said he was “very disappointed” by Musk’s comments.
“Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here,” Trump told reporters. “Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore.”
Trump added he “would have won Pennsylvania easily anyway,” without Musk’s help.
1.44-1.57 p.m. June 5: Musk renames bill, asks his followers if it was time to create a new political party
Musk posts a slew of tweets to X, including one asking, “Where is this guy today??” in response to a tweet of screenshots from Trump’s previous criticisms of increasing the debt ceiling.
This is shortly followed by a new suggestion from Musk: “Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?”
This post is still pinned to the top of the X owner’s timeline.
Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025
2.16 p.m. June 5: Musk says he will be around for longer than Trump
Responding to Maga blogger Laura Loomer on X, who was commenting about the divide amongst Republicans over the fight between Musk and Trump, the billionaire said: “Oh and some food for thought as they ponder this question: Trump has 3.5 years left as President, but I will be around for 40+ years...”
2.37 p.m. June 5: Trump attacks from Truth Social
The president says that Musk was “wearing thin” in a series of posts on his social media platform:
He then added: “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”
2.48 p.m. June 5: Musk hits back
Retweeting a screenshot of Trump’s EV madate comment, Musk said: “Such an obvious lie. So sad.”
3.10 p.m. June 5: Musk alleges Trump appears in the Epstein files
Musk tweeted: “Files linked to the investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have emerged as a point of fixation for Trump and his allies and right-wing media figures.
Shortly after, he wrote: “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”
4.09 p.m. June 5: Musk says he will decommission spacecraft
“In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately,” he tweeted.
Another X user replied, urging Musk to “cool off and take a step back for a couple of days.” Musk replied: “Good advice. Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon.”
In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately pic.twitter.com/NG9sijjkgW
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025
4.06 p.m. June 5: Trump defends the bill
Trump wrote on Truth Social: “I don’t mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. It’s a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesn’t pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that. I didn’t create this mess, I’m just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
4.11 p.m. June 5: Musk seems to agree Trump should be replaced by vice president J.D. Vance
Musk retweets an X user, who said: “President vs Elon. Who wins? My money's on Elon. Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should replace him.”
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025
4.26 p.m. June 5: Musk brings tariffs into the fight
Musk tweets: “The Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year”.
7.50 p.m. June 5: Musk says ‘Kill the bill’
Musk tweets: “Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL”
Last post for June 5: Impeachment for Trump?
Musk’s last repost for the day is from an X user, who said: “This is why Republicans will likely lose the House in 2026 and then Democrats will spend two years investigating and impeaching President Trump.
:Trump and the Republicans in Congress need to deliver. We want budget cuts. We want agencies shut down. We don't want big govt.”
Michael Cohen and Ben Meiselas discuss the fallout from the escalating civil war between Elon Musk and Donald Trump.
Hyenas fighting over a carcass: Michael Cohen on the split between Musk and Trump
President Trump told NBC News Saturday his relationship with Elon Musk is over after the two had a public disagreement over Trump’s domestic agenda. Michael Cohen, who had his own falling out with Trump, says Trump is motivated only by self-interest. “It's the lean in by Trump, the whisper, and then that gaze into your eyes where you think that he's looking at you. No.” He continued, “What he's looking at is his own reflection in your pupils.”
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Musk has ‘false impression’ he ‘created’ Trump’s presidency with campaign support: Cohen
Chris Hayes: The MAGA right has clung to the Epstein files as an anti-liberal Holy Grail. But Trump has been at the center of the scandal the whole time.
Joanna Coles is back with an emergency podcast to reveal just what is going on with the Trump–Elon Musk blow-up—and who better to explain it than Michael Wolff, Trump’s biographer and longtime chaos whisperer. Wolff explains why Musk is “Elon Bannon," revealing how he’s stolen Bannon’s role as Trump’s dark twin. And he unpacks why both men are deploying Trump’s ultimate fear: Jeffrey Epstein. From Epstein’s Manhattan mansion, where Bannon coached the disgraced financier on media comebacks, to Elon’s furious tweets, Wolff traces a toxic triangle of power, revenge and secrets. And he explains why Musk may be the first man rich and ruthless enough to truly go to war with Trump—and win.
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Why are Kash Patel and Dan Bongino Giving Cagey Answers on Epstein and January 6, w/ Glenn Greenwald
Megyn Kelly Musk vs. Trump: A power couple tumbles into a messy divorce
As feud erupts into the open, president threatens former ally; Musk appears to call for impeachment
It's splittsville for a global power couple. Donald Trump and Elon Musk are tumbling into a messy public divorce, with unusual political fallout.
Tension between the erstwhile Oval Office buds bubbled into open view Thursday, as they exchanged digs in public and on their own social media sites.
It got ugly, quickly. Within hours, Musk appeared to call for Trump's impeachment. Meanwhile, Tesla stock had plunged, as the market feared the president might punish Musk businesses.
The official cause of the breakup between the world's most powerful elected politician and its richest man was the hefty U.S. federal budget deficit.
Musk has been disparaging the president's signature budget bill since leaving his government role last week, fuming recently that the legislation will plunge the U.S. deeper into its debt hole. He called it "a disgusting abomination."
Trump's reply: Musk is just bitter. He suggests Musk is unhappy with parts of the bill that hurt his electric-vehicle business. He also suggests the Tesla billionaire misses the action in the White House.
And because this is Donald Trump's Washington, the chancellor of Germany happened to be seated in the room, witness to one side of the feud.
"Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore," Trump told reporters during a lengthy photo op Thursday in the Oval Office with Friedrich Merz.
"He's not the first. People leave my administration and they love us. And then at some point, they miss it so badly ... I don't know what it is. It's sort of Trump Derangement Syndrome, I guess they call it," he said.
"They leave, and they wake up in the morning, and the glamour's gone, the whole world is different – and they become hostile. I don't know what it is."
It degenerated from there.
Trump continued the dispute on his own social-media site. On Thursday afternoon, he posted on his social-media platform Musk was "wearing thin," and suggested he'd fired him.
"I asked him to leave," Trump wrote on Truth Social, to which Musk responded on X, formerly Twitter, "Such an obvious lie. So sad."
The president also uttered a thinly veiled threat: Trump wrote that one easy way to trim the federal budget is to cancel government contracts with Musk's companies, worth billions. "I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!" Tesla stock plunged abruptly, dropping 14 per cent within a couple of hours.
'Without me, Trump would have lost'
Musk, meanwhile, has been using X, the enormous online megaphone he owns, to rail at the administration.
He's disputing that his own business interests soured him on the budget bill. The legislation, which has passed the House but faces an uncertain path in the Senate, eliminates an EV tax credit.
And he's demanding a little more gratitude after he dumped the equivalent of nearly $400 million Cdn into electing Trump and his allies.
"Without me, Trump would have lost the election," Musk posted Thursday on X. "[Democrats] would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate."
He later replied, "Yes," to a tweet calling for Trump's impeachment. Musk also predicted Trump's tariffs will cause a recession.
And in an eye-poppingly personal string of tweets, Musk referred several times to Trump's encounters with the late sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein, offering no evidence or detail to buttress his ominous insinuations.
Elon Musk gets Oval Office send-off from TrumpHints of trouble in political paradise
It's an abrupt plot twist: The pair were all smiles and praise for each other just last week, as Musk announced his departure from Washington.
But there were hints of trouble in political paradise.
There were occasional reports of blowups between Musk and other members of the administration, and the New York Times reported that sources were concerned about Musk's frequent use of different drugs, including, allegedly, so much ketamine that it was affecting his bladder. Musk denied it.
Now Musk has gone from White House consigliere to chief heckler in under a week — a speed record even for D.C.
As is custom in Trump-era Washington, the human-resources gossip risks overshadowing the substantive challenges of the U.S. government.
With American debt levels ballooning, and the cost of servicing the $36 trillion national debt recently outpacing even military spending, Musk was tasked with controlling finances.
He slashed countless offices, programs, research initiatives, and even the entire agency that oversaw U.S. international aid.
Still, it put only a modest dent in federal spending. Musk's DOGE project has eliminated an estimated $170 billion US, less than one-10th of the annual budget deficit.
Trump
and Musk in happier times: Here the billionaire jumps on stage in
celebration at a Trump rally in Butler, Pa., months after Trump had
survived an assassination attempt there. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)
Musk's uncertain legacy in government
If anything, the initiative demonstrated that actually halting the growth of the national debt would require real sacrifices from Americans: Either popular programs get cut or taxes go up.
Even if Musk had eliminated all U.S. foreign aid, he could do it 25 times over, and the U.S. would still have a deficit, and the debt would keep growing. That's because the vast majority of U.S. federal spending is on pensions, the military, public health, income support, and paying past debt.
But some of Musk's critics say his legacy in government can't be counted solely in terms of public finances.
The co-author of a report titled Corruption In Plain Sight said at least 32 federal investigations into Musk companies might have vanished during his months in politics — in part, because the investigating agencies were defunded or the investigators were fired.
"Musk's legacy under DOGE is something that has benefited him, largely," said Margaret Poydock of the Economic Policy Institute, a group focused on fighting inequality that's funded mostly by union or left-of-centre donors.
She cited several examples, like the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which screens federal contractors for workplace bias and racial discrimination, and can fine and punish offenders.
It was auditing Tesla, but it was gutted quickly after Trump's inauguration. The U.S. Agency for International Development, meanwhile, had been investigating Musk's company Starlink over its service of satellites supplied to Ukraine; he eliminated the agency.
"I think that's pretty egregious," Poydock said.
Thursday's stock-market plunge, however, illustrated Musk's dalliance with politics also included downside risks. Unlike some relationships with Donald Trump, this one didn't come with a prenup.
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