Elon Musk ignited a firestorm Thursday, claiming on X that his support was pivotal to President Donald Trump’s 2024 election win, asserting, “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House, and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.”
The tech billionaire, who spent over $270 million backing Trump and Republicans, accused the president of “such ingratitude” in a follow-up post. The remarks came amid a public rift over Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” a tax-and-spending package Musk has slammed as a “disgusting abomination” for its $2.4 trillion debt increase and electric vehicle tax credit cuts.
Trump, speaking alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, expressed disappointment, alleging Musk only opposed the bill after losing EV incentives. “Elon knew the inner workings of this bill… he had no problem with it,” Trump claimed, a statement Musk called “false,” insisting the bill was never shown to him.
The feud escalated as Trump threatened to cut Musk’s government contracts, prompting Musk to announce SpaceX would decommission its Dragon spacecraft.
Musk’s posts also took a darker turn, alleging Trump’s name is in unreleased Jeffrey Epstein files, a claim without evidence that intensified their war of words. The fallout, following Musk’s exit from the Department of Government Efficiency, has sparked speculation about a new political party, with Musk polling X users on the idea.
Tesla shares plummeted 14% amid the chaos, underscoring the high stakes of this billionaire showdown.