Bitter Trump-Musk breakup forces allies to take sides as MAGA influencers quip Don’s ‘not invited to Mars anymore’
LAWMAKERS have been forced to pick sides after President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's bromance came to a screeching halt.
Democrats and Republicans are scrambling to pledge their allegiance after Musk called for Trump's impeachment and hurled unfounded accusations about the Epstein files.
The drama unfolded when Musk disapproved of Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," calling it a "massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill."
Trump said the world's richest man was furious because the bill proposes stripping billions in government subsidies from Musk's electric vehicle company Tesla.
The two exchanged digital blows with searing social media posts until late Thursday night, when White House aides were said to have scheduled a call between the bitter rivals.
RECONCILIATION REJECTED
Musk appeared to have offered a possible olive branch when he responded to a post on X from hedge fund manager Bill Ackman.
TRUMP VS ELON
Ackman called for reconciliation, "for the benefit of our great country," and said, "We are much stronger together than apart."
In a telling reply, Musk said, "You're not wrong."
Speaker Mike Johnson raced to try to get Musk on the phone to negotiate a peace offering.
He said they were trying to nail down a time to chat, but haven't been able to iron things out yet.
But that all fell apart on Friday morning when Trump blasted Musk again and said he wasn't interested in talking anytime soon.
Despite glimmers of hope, politicians and thought leaders have rushed to pick sides and share their two cents on the matter.
Though many of them have been quick to stick to President Trump, not everyone is falling in line.
TRUMP SUPPORTERS RALLY
Support for Trump was immediate and forceful as allies rallied around the president.
Johnson, who oversaw the passage of Trump's "big beautiful bill" in the House that prompted Musk's initial shot across the bow when he called the legislation a "disgusting abomination," was among the first to come to the president's aid.
"Look, I know all of you are very concerned about [Musk's] tweets, but I think the American people are concerned about things that really matter," Johnson told reporters Thursday.
How did Musk and Trump's relationship crumble?
ELON Musk and Donald Trump spent Thursday launching insults on social media as their relationship quickly went sour.
The Tesla owner called for Trump's impeachment as the president hit back and warned the government could end all federal contracts with Musk's companies. Here's how it went down:
- On Tuesday, Musk tweeted that Trump's signature "big beautiful" spending bill was a "disgusting abomination" that would add billions to the federal deficit
- On Thursday in the Oval Office, Trump addressed Musk's criticism of the bill and accused Musk of trying to kill it because the bill ends federal subsidies for electric vehicles
- Musk responded by live-posting on X as Trump spoke, initially shrugging off the president's assessment with an unbothered "Whatever," before tearing into the bill's other spending provisions
- Trump escalated the feud after the Oval Office meeting with multiple posts on Truth Social, saying he told Musk to leave the White House instead of continuing to work with Doge and threatening to dump Musk's federal contracts, which are worth billions
- Musk fired back on X by saying he was "decommissioning" the Dragon spacecraft made by SpaceX that brought the stranded Nasa astronauts back from the International Space Station in March
- Musk also escalated the war of words by reposting and replying "Yes" to a tweet claiming that Trump should be impeached and replaced by Vice President JD Vance
- Musk further fanned the flames by claiming that Trump is named in the infamous "Epstein files" and making unfounded accusations that its the reason they haven't been released to the public.
"That is making their taxes low, making their economy work, making the border secure, making energy dominance a big thing again, and that's what our bill is going to do."
Johnson said he supported Trump's massive tax and spending cuts bill, and called it a "historic step forward."
Vice President JD Vance rushed to his bosses aid and blasted "lies the corporate media tells about President Trump."
"One of the most glaring is that he's impulsive or short-tempered," he wrote.
"Anyone who has seen him operate under pressure knows that's ridiculous."
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the feud was an "unfortunate episode from Elon," adding that he wasn't happy with the bill because "it does not include the policies he wanted."
"As a businessman, he has a right to speak for his companies, but as president, President Trump has a responsibility to fight for this country," she told Fox News.
CJ Pearson, who is the co-chair of the Republican National Committee Youth Advisory, made it clear who had his vote and confidence.
"I'll be on the side of the guy that took a bullet for his country. Simple as that," he told the Daily Mail.
EPSTEIN CLAIMS 'RIDICULOUS'
Other Republicans fumed over Musk's unfounded claim that Trump is named in files on sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and should be impeached.
Leader of the House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, Anna Paulina Luna, said the Epstein accusation was bogus.
"The fact is, I do not believe that President Trump is in the Epstein files," she said.
Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky who Musk supported, disagreed that Trump should be impeached but added that he still respects the Tesla CEO.
"This is the language Trump speaks in. [Musk] is speaking it back to him," he said.
Meanwhile, Tennessee Representative Tim Burchett argued that if Trump were in the files, it would've already be used against him politically.
"Honestly, if any of that stuff was true on Trump, don't you think the Biden administration would have brought it out? I mean, that's just ridiculous," he said.
There's no evidence that Trump had any involvement in Epstein's crimes.
MAGA INFLUENCERS CAUTIOUS
MAGA influencers remain divided on the feud, including Emily Wilson, known as Emily Saves America, who said that she "doesn't agree with doing this publicly and it's not a good look for us… compared to Democrats, our party at least goes for it.
"We go with what we think and feel, we don't just fall in line with each other. I feel like Democrats are all shady and do everything behind closed doors and eat their own."
Raquel Debono, who runs Make America Hot Again, jokingly said: "I guess Trump's not invited to Mars anymore."
However, activist Robby Starbuck said MAGA is stronger "with Trump and Elon working together," and hopes the two can come together.
"Elon is right to want a balanced budget and Trump is right to want his signature legislation.
"Remember, our founders in America did great things, often fought and later made up.
"This doesn't need to be a breakup if they let cooler heads prevail."
Meanwhile, podcaster Joe Rogan, who endorsed Trump as president, called for Musk's phone to be thrown away.
DEMOCRATS DIVIDED ON MUSK PRAISE
The feud has had some in the Democratic party praising Musk, which has earned the ire of Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman.
"The Dems, we've been dumping all over Musk and vandalizing Teslas or whatever, and now, suddenly, we might be more back into him," he said.
Fetterman warned the party against fawning over the billionaire.
"It wasn't that long ago that Tesla was like the virtue-signaling kind of accessory for Dems," he said.
"I would never want to vandalize Teslas, and the ‘big, beautiful bill’ is wrong for America. So, from my perspective, I've just tried to be consistent through that."
WHO'S STAYING QUIET
Some key decision makers are keeping to themselves until tensions cool.
"I'm staying out of it," Representative Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska, told NBC News.
"There's a good verse in Proverbs, 'Stay out of fights.' I'm staying out of this one."
Read More on The Sun
Representative Richard Hudson, a Republican from North Carolina, said that he has faith the feud will "blow over."
When he was asked whether the two would make up, he merely shrugged.
How Elon made his billions...
ONLY a few individuals in the world stand a chance at becoming the world's first trillionaire - and Elon Musk is near the top of that list.
Since the start of his career, Musk has been able to amass an extensive fortune and kept a hold of the "world's richest man" moniker for years.
His career in the business world dates back to 1995, when he and his brother, Kimbal Musk, started the software firm, Zip2, which created internet city guides for the New York Times and Chicago Tribune.
Four years later, in February 1999, Compaq acquired the company for $307 million in cash, giving Musk $22 million for his seven percent share from the sale.
Later in 1999, he then co-founded X.com, one of the world's first online banks, which merged with PayPal the following year.
A notorious workaholic, he doesn't spend his money on lavish vacations or expensive hobbies.
Instead, the entrepreneur spends most of his free time at the office or in factories.
Nowadays, most of his wealth continues to tick over thanks to his multiple business ventures including founding giant companies like Tesla and SpaceX.
Musk's worth also comes from the stock market, which he has helped influence greatly over the years.
At the beginning of 2021, Musk made the price of Bitcoin break all-time records after he revealed Tesla invested $1.5billion in the cryptocurrency.
In 2022, Musk hit headlines once more when he made an audacious paid for Twitter and turned it into X.