Donald Trump and Elon Musk appear to have gotten into a pissing contest over their differences about the proposed GOP budget. Last week Musk began to criticize Trump’s “big Beautiful Bill” because of the enormous increase in the debt ceiling and the scoring of the CBO, which asserted this bill would all $2.4 trillion to the debt. But it is true that the scoring was done on a static basis and ignored the potential growth of the economy derived from the policies in the bill.
Musk opined that Trump would not have been elected without his support and the $300 million he spent on the campaign.
Trump downplayed Musk’s role in the election and suggested that Musk was upset about Trump seeking to end the EV subsidies.
Musk then stated that Trump’s name was in the as yet-unreleased Epstein files, after which Trump threatened to cut billions in government contracts and subsidies to Musk’s companies, including SpaceX and Tesla,
“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”
Musk then said he would begin to decommission the Dragon capsule but reversed himself not long after.
GOP members accused Musk of “going too far” with the Epstein allegation.
It’s speculated that the withdrawal of Jared Isaacman’s nomination for NASA Administrator by President Donald Trump was the “final straw” for this apparent conflict.
Steve Bannon jumped in, and foolishly suggested Trump seize Musk’s companies and that Musk be deported. Musk then agreed with a post on X that said Trump should be impeached and removed from office.
This morning there is a report of Musk offering an olive branch.
This all looks bad, and it just might be but there are things here that aren’t adding up.
Musk has long been in favor of ending all EV subsidies. Grok:
Yes, Elon Musk has advocated for the elimination of all electric vehicle (EV) subsidies, a stance he reiterated during the Trump-Musk feud in June 2025. Musk’s position stems from his belief that subsidies distort the free market and that Tesla, as a leading EV manufacturer, no longer needs them to compete. He argued on X that ending all EV subsidies would “hurt Tesla in the short term” but ultimately benefit the industry by fostering genuine competition, stating, “If you’re really for a free market, then let’s end all subsidies, not just the ones that don’t suit you.” This came amidst his broader criticism of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which removed EV tax credits—a move Trump suggested was the root of Musk’s opposition, though Musk framed his stance as a principled push for fiscal responsibility and market fairness.Musk’s call to end EV subsidies wasn’t new; he had expressed similar views as early as 2015, when he told a conference that Tesla didn’t need subsidies to survive and that their removal would hurt competitors like Nissan and GM more. In the 2025 context, however, his position added fuel to the feud, as Trump interpreted it as a personal attack, leading to threats to cut subsidies and contracts to Musk’s companies, including Tesla and SpaceX, exacerbating their public clash.
The mentions of Trump in the Epstein files are well-documented but limited to his known social and business interactions with Epstein before the latter’s crimes were fully exposed. No credible evidence in the released documents ties Trump to Epstein’s illegal activities, despite persistent speculation and viral claims on platforms like X. However, the lack of new incriminating details hasn’t quelled public interest or conspiracy theories, which continue to circulate due to Epstein’s high-profile connections and the incomplete nature of document releases.
Had there been anything to it, Joe Biden would have leaked it years ago.
Back in March, Trump said Musk had never asked for a thing in return for his help.
President Trump on @elonmusk: “Elon has never asked me for a thing. I mean, I got rid of the EV mandate … but he’s never asked me for a thing. I think that’s an amazing attribute … Elon is a patriot, we want to thank you very much for the job you’re doing.” pic.twitter.com/Z4fHG3Bxtl
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) March 24, 2025
Musk is the manned US space program and could cripple it in a second, but I don’t believe he would.
So, it all makes me wonder- is this real or is it theater? On the one hand, it’s somewhat damaging to both men and their efforts. On the other hand, it’s a great distraction from other events and steals the oxygen in the room from democrats.
It makes no sense for Trump to so severely alienate someone who carries as much influence as does Musk.
It could also be a vehicle for Trump to back off the larger spending parts of the BBB and add them in later once the economy does boom.
We’ll see.
DrJohn has been a health care professional for more than 40 years. In addition to clinical practice he has done extensive research and has published widely with over 70 original articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature. DrJohn is well known in his field and has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica. He has been married to the same wonderful lady for over 45 years and has three kids- two sons, both of whom are attorneys and one daughter who is in the field of education.
DrJohn was brought up with the concept that one can do well if one is prepared to work hard but nothing in life is guaranteed.
Except for liberals being foolish.
Distraction, but from what?