Trump vs. Musk: A War Without Return?

• The Trump-Musk conflict takes new turn
• Musk strikes back on social media
• High financial stakes in their fallout

According to USA Today, the clash between Donald Trump and Elon Musk has evolved from a public spat into a potential rupture with monumental consequences.

What began as a series of mutual criticisms has now turned into a direct threat to economic, political, and technological interests.

The tipping point was Musk’s rejection of Trump’s “Big Beautiful” budget bill, which adds $2.5 trillion to the federal deficit.

From that moment on, the two magnates unleashed a media and personal war that could disrupt the balance between politics and business in the United States.

Trump vs Trump: Accusations, Threats, and Market Losses

Musk accused Trump of blocking the release of documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein, suggesting a cover-up.

Trump, in turn, began threatening to review—and potentially slash—the subsidies Musk’s companies have received from the government.

And it’s no small amount: Musk’s ventures have secured over $38 billion in contracts, loans, and tax credits over the past 20 years.

The majority of those funds come from SpaceX, which holds key partnerships with NASA and the Department of Defense.

Economic Fallout After the Trump-Musk Conflict

Following the June 5 blowup, Tesla’s stock plunged by 15%, wiping out over $100 billion in market value.

The White House even hinted that Trump was considering selling his own Tesla Model S as a political statement.

But beyond the drama lies a deep web of economic and political ties between these two influential figures.

Now in his second term, Trump has the power to seriously damage Musk’s empire through executive orders or federal investigations.

Social Media, Power, and the Possibility of Reconciliation

Steve Bannon has gone as far as to suggest using the Defense Production Act to seize SpaceX and deport Musk over alleged immigration issues.

But Musk has powerful tools of his own.

He controls X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, where he commands an audience of over 220 million followers.

He’s already begun using it to criticize Trump’s leadership and float the idea of launching a third political party.

Political Reunion or Permanent Break?

A poll Musk shared showed that 80.4% of his followers would support a third-party alternative to Republicans and Democrats.

Additionally, Musk threatened to withdraw SpaceX’s support for the Dragon capsule—essential for missions to the International Space Station.

He later walked back that threat after a conciliatory comment from a user urging him to tone down the conflict.

Despite this, Trump showed no interest in reconciliation.

Trump vs Musk: power, business and future

From aboard Air Force One, he told reporters he would evaluate all contracts with Musk, calling them “a lot of money, a lot of subsidies.”

Doug Heye, a veteran Republican strategist, commented that “when Trump sees you as an enemy, he’ll use the government against you.”

However, he also noted that Trump is unpredictable and could forgive if Musk were to issue a public retraction.

He cited the example of Reince Priebus, who was dismissed on an airport tarmac but later returned to Trump’s inner circle.