Trump and Musk Are Now at War — Threatening Each Other With Mutually Assured Destruction

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

The alliance between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk was always a bit strange — more of a marriage of convenience than conviction. One brought chaos, political charisma, and a MAGA army; the other brought self-proclaimed innovation, influence, and a tech-savvy libertarian audience Trump never quite owned.

But now, the detente between the world’s most powerful populist and the wealthiest man on Earth has officially exploded — and neither of them can afford the fallout.

The massive blow-up came out of nowhere, as The Week in Trump Elon Drama started off quietly enough. On Sunday, Trump sat down with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo and made it seem like all was well between himself and Musk, brushing off their recent spats like “boys will be boys.” Trump made clear the two enjoyed “mutual respect,” called Musk a “genius,” and even floated the idea that they still talked “from time to time.”

But within 24 hours, Musk detonated the relationship on X (formerly known as the free world’s most chaotic group chat) with a string of political attacks not aimed at Trump but the members of Congress doing his bidding by voting for a massive spending bill.

Incensed over Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” — a mammoth piece of legislation projected by the CBO to balloon the U.S. deficit by $5 trillion — Musk went full scorched earth, branding the GOP the “PORKY PIG Party” and threatening to bankroll primary challengers against any Republican who supported it.

That’s not all. Musk resurrected his long-rumored “America Party” — a third-party play that would likely siphon off just enough anti-establishment energy from MAGA to matter. It was a clear shot across the bow: steal the flag, divide the base.

Trump ignored the slight, initially. But in Trumpworld, silence is always temporary. By Monday night, the former president unleashed his own volley with a Truth Social post that was part veiled threat, part acid trip: “Maybe DOGE cuts the subsidies. Maybe ICE pays a visit.” Subtlety has never been his strong suit.

Trump wrote:

Elon Musk knew, long before he so strongly Endorsed me for President, that I was strongly against the EV Mandate. It is ridiculous, and was always a major part of my campaign. Electric cars are fine, but not everyone should be forced to own one. Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa. No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE. Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!

The reference to DOGE — the Government agency designed to cut unnecessary federal spending that Musk led until weeks ago — was more than a dig. It was a coded threat aimed directly at Musk’s vast empire of government contracts, subsidies, and regulatory latitude. Trump was reminding his former friend: It would be a real shame if something bad happened to all the federal funding that helps your rockets go to space because I let them.

Musk’s fortune and influence are underpinned by a steady stream of government support, from SpaceX contracts, to EV subsidies, to federal waivers. If Trump decides to unleash the regulatory hounds, Musk could quickly go from kingmaker to cautionary tale.

According to The Washington Post, Musk and his businesses have received at least $38 billion in government contracts, loans, subsidies, and tax credits over the past 20+ years. And his rocket company, SpaceX, has received $22B in contracts from the federal government. Last year alone, companies owned by Elon Musk were promised $3 billion across nearly 100 different government contracts with 17 federal agencies — most of the contracts were for SpaceX. Oh, and Tesla’s market cap is down almost 6% in pre-market trading following this latest dustup.

Trump’s warning became even more vivid during a White House South Lawn press gaggle the following morning. “We might have to put DOGE on Elon,” Trump quipped, smirking. “DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon.” Say what you will about the president, but when he gets biblical, he’s pissed.

This fractured relationship is now more than a personal grudge match — it’s a real-time threat to each man’s base of power. But its not as though Trump has nothing to lose in this escalating war either.

The MAGA movement isn’t the same beast it was in 2016, or even 2020. His coalition has been bolstered in recent years by a distinct Silicon Valley strain — crypto-rich tech bros, free speech obsessives, and edge lord influencers who revere Musk as the individual who acquired Twitter and made it “free.” Alienating that cohort would cost Trump enough cultural capital to make his shaky post-Israel-war coalition even more fragile.

Which is why this spat, however absurd on the surface — featuring cartoon threats, pork-themed insults, and the potential deportation of a South African-American billionaire — may have real consequences.

Each of these megalomaniacs clearly thought they’d bought the other off. They were both wrong. Trump and Musk once needed each other — or at least pretended to. Now they’re hell-bent on proving they don’t, even if it means mutual destruction.

The ugly truth? Neither can afford to be wrong.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.