13 hours ago
Donald Trump and Elon Musk's public feud erupts, turning their bromance into a bitter spectacle. Egos clash, secrets spill, and empires tremble in this chaotic, meme-fuelled theatre of the absurd.
Musk’s departure from the Trump administration a week ago had signaled the end of their bromance (Image: Vani Gupta/India Today)
New Delhi,UPDATED: Jun 6, 2025 13:52 IST
The only thing left for Donald Trump and Elon Musk to do after Thursday's bust-up is to pull each other’s hair. Short of that, they have ticked every box for a street fight that would make even a toddler blush.
With the petty, messy, and public breakup, Trump has completed the task of turning the White House into a big, beautiful spectacle. Serves Americans right for electing a reality show host to run the Oval Office. And a deserved karmic punch for Musk for bankrolling a President with a history of biting the hand that feeds him.
Musk’s departure from the Trump administration a week ago signalled the end of their bromance. But nobody expected them to bicker in public like two bitter exes ready to spill bedroom secrets. Unfortunately, like in all relationships, size matters, and the ego of the two was too big. One loved to blow his own Trumpet, the other considered himself a Musketeer. A medieval-era duel was loading.
A bromance turns ugly
The feud, like a melodramatic script about a public breakup, is a voyeur’s dream. On May 30, 2025, Musk abruptly resigned from the Trump administration, where he was heading the Department of Government Efficiency (DoGE), tasked with streamlining federal operations.
A day later, Musk appeared at the Oval Office with a black eye for a mushy farewell. With slobbering tributes to each other, the two appeared to have made up, pending a kiss. On June 3, Musk fired a fresh salvo, calling Trump’s big beautiful bill a pork-filled disaster. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore,” he posted, calling the bill a disgusting abomination. The next day, he asked his 220 million followers on X to kill the bill, and unfollowed key Trump aides. But the jilted exes were just warming up.
On June 5, the fight escalated during Trump’s meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Trump, stung by Musk’s criticism, said, “I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped him a lot.”
In characteristic Trump fashion, he mocked Musk’s black eye: “I said, ‘You want a little makeup?’ He said, ‘No.’” Trump claimed Musk knew the bill’s details and is mad about losing EV subsidies. Musk fired back on X in real-time: “False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night!”
After this, it was time to recount favours and spill secrets, a hallmark of all bust-ups between besties. Musk: “Without me, Trump would have lost the election.” Trump (on Truth Social): “Elon was ‘wearing thin,’ I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate and he just went CRAZY!” He threatens to cut Musk’s contracts: “Billions and Billions of Dollars.” Musk: “Such an obvious lie. So sad.” Drops a bomb: “@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!” Later, he agrees with an X post calling for Trump’s impeachment and replacement by JD Vance: “Yes.” He also floats a new political party: “Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?”
Jokers in a circus
While the world noted that the “girls are fighting” and seized on the drama with a meme fest, shares of Tesla sank 14.3%, wiping off $150-billion of investor wealth. Trump’s empire tanked 8%, losing $100 million in value.
The comedic circus has several shades of irony. The self-proclaimed best deal-maker in the world couldn’t save his alliance with Musk. And the world’s smartest entrepreneur invested in a president who is now threatening to take down the Musk empire.
Trump is a convicted felon who falsified business records and paid hush money to a porn star. Musk, according to The New York Times, is addicted to drugs; he is also obsessed with the idea of fathering a legion by donating his sperm. In the past, both the divas got out of holes they had dug for themselves by using power and hush money. But this time, the fight is between the world’s most powerful man and the world’s richest.
Complicated, chaotic and unpredictable, both Trump and Musk embody hubris. This confluence of evil traits promises an Armageddon that threatens to rattle America. Though Musk has shown signs of backing out of a fight, hell hath no fury like Trump scorned.
Trump’s followers have already demanded a probe into Musk’s business and past. They want Musk’s immigration record checked, insinuating that he entered America illegally. A blowback looms.
Just a week ago, Trump and Musk were thick as thieves, pulling off the MAGA heist on gullible Yankees. But by duking it out in public, they have spurned even the thieves’ honour code. Expect the unexpected secrets, imagine the worst threats. It is open season in the US.
Both of them are likely to wash so much dirty linen in public that the world would see them for what they are: emperors without even a fig leaf of shame.
Published On:
Jun 6, 2025
Tune In
