Musk-Trump Bromance Was Teetering On the Edge During Last Week’s Sendoff: NYT
Elon Musk’s handpicked nominee to lead NASA donated to prominent Democrats — a revelation that triggered President Donald Trump and finalized the collapse of their political alliance, according to The New York Times.
In a report published Friday night, the Times detailed a dramatic Oval Office moment a week ago that broke an already “crumbling” relationship between the two billionaires.
Minutes before Trump bid farewell to Musk, he was handed a file showing that Jared Isaacman – Musk’s choice to run NASA – had donated money to several high-profile Democrats in recent years.
The meeting was amicable, with Musk wearing a “Dogefather” shirt as Trump praised his accomplishments and gave him the “Key to the White House.”
But per the Times, tension was bubbling below the surface, and Trump reportedly confronted Musk when the cameras were off.
He reportedly was reading off names from a donor list and was angry that Musk would recommend Isaacman for the job. Musk reportedly said hiring someone who had donated to Democrats could be good for Trump, who did not agree.
The Times reported, “Maybe it’s a good thing, Mr. Musk told the president — it shows that you’re willing to hire people of all stripes. But Mr. Trump was unmoved. He said that people don’t change. These are the types of people who will turn, he said, and it won’t end up being good for us.”
Trump was apparently resentful, an emotion Musk shared after Trump pulled Isaacman’s nomination and denied the Tesla CEO a one-on-one meeting to discuss the matter.
Days later, after Musk had been criticizing Trump’s “big, beautiful” budget bill on social media, Trump was asked about Musk from the Oval Office on Thursday. The gloves came off.
“Look, I’ve always liked Elon,” Trump told the media. “And so I was very surprised. You saw the words he had for me. And he hasn’t said anything about me that’s bad. I’d rather have him criticize me than the bill because the bill is incredible.”
Within hours, Trump was threatening to pull Musk’s federal contracts, while the SpaceX CEO was accusing Trump of being in the Jeffrey Epstein files.
