Trump-Musk political relationship: A abstract and timeline
The escalating confrontation this week between President Donald Trump and tech mogul Elon Musk marked probably the most contentious chapter in a yearslong and at-times rocky relationship between two of probably the most influential figures in enterprise and politics.
Musk, a former Democrat, has criticized Trump previously, however over the previous 12 months cast a powerful relationship with the president that positioned him to wield important energy within the early months of Trump’s second administration.
These shut ties, although, got here after years of ups and downs stretching again to 2016 when Musk accepted a spot on a number of of Trump’s enterprise advisory councils.
Listed here are a number of the highlights of Trump and Musk’s unstable relationship from the previous few years.
July 2022: Musk suggests Trump ought to forgo White Home bid
Musk, who would finally emerge as one of the crucial loyal contributors to Trump’s 2024 marketing campaign, was initially a vocal opponent.
Regardless of a stable working relationship with Trump throughout his first time period, the enigmatic tech chief known as on Trump to skip the 2024 race.
“I don’t hate the person, nevertheless it’s time for Trump to hold up his hat & sail into the sundown,” Musk wrote on X. “Trump can be 82 at finish of time period, which is just too outdated to be chief govt of something, not to mention the US of America.”
The submit was not with out provocation — Trump days earlier at a marketing campaign rally in Alaska bashed Musk for his effort to buy X, then often called Twitter, and for saying in an interview that he by no means voted for a Republican.
“He advised me he voted for me,” Trump stated on the rally. “He is one other bulls— artist.”
Musk in response threw his assist behind Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“If DeSantis runs towards Biden in 2024, then DeSantis will simply win — he doesn’t even have to marketing campaign,” he wrote on X.
November 2022: Musk reinstates Trump’s Twitter account
Weeks after formally taking management of X, Musk prolonged an olive department to Trump by reinstating his account on the social media platform — as soon as his favourite on-line megaphone — after it was banned following the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol.
Musk reinstated the account on Nov. 19, 4 days after Trump formally launched his 2024 marketing campaign.
August 2023: Musk defends Trump as prosecutions pile up
By the summer time of 2023, Trump had been indicted in three separate felony instances. Musk, who months earlier predicted Trump would win the 2024 election if arrested, condemned the prosecutions.
“I didn’t vote for him final election, however such aggressive authorized motion towards a former president is just not proper,” Musk wrote.
The submit served as a shift for Musk, who quickly after started posting extra sympathetic messages about Trump.
March 2024: Trump, determined for money, meets Musk in Palm Seaside
Within the first few months of 2024, Trump’s marketing campaign discovered itself in a money crunch after allocating upwards of $50 million towards his authorized protection.
So when Trump met with Musk alongside a number of different rich Republican donors in Palm Seaside, Florida, most political observers have been fast to attach the dots.
Musk, the world’s richest man, has insisted that the assembly was unplanned and maintains that Trump by no means explicitly requested funding.
“I’m not paying his authorized payments in any approach, form or type … and he didn’t ask me for cash,” Musk stated in an interview after the assembly, although he did say afterward that he was no less than “leaning away” from President Joe Biden.
When requested about their assembly, Trump stated he’d “helped” Musk previously, with out offering particulars.
Could 2024: Musk establishes a pro-Trump tremendous PAC
In line with marketing campaign finance paperwork, Musk created America PAC, a pro-Trump Tremendous PAC, on Could 22.
Quickly after, stories emerged that Trump and Musk had mentioned a doable advisory function for the Tesla CEO in a second Trump administration, an effort to make sure Musk would maintain a key place within the White Home.
July 2024: Musk endorses Trump
Lower than an hour after an assassination try on Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania, Musk formally threw his assist behind Trump’s candidacy.
“I totally endorse President Trump and hope for his fast restoration,” Musk wrote on X.
Trump responded by touting stories that Musk deliberate to contribute $45 million a month to his re-election effort and promising to make life “good” for him.
“We have now to make life good for our sensible individuals. You already know, we’ve got some sensible individuals. We have now to make life good for our sensible individuals, and he’s as sensible as you get,” Trump stated at his first marketing campaign occasion after the assassination try.
August 2024: Trump and Musk maintain marketing campaign occasion on X
In an occasion billed by Trump’s marketing campaign as “the interview of the century,” Trump joined Musk for a web-based rally on X.
The occasion was repeatedly delayed as a consequence of tech points, however noticed the pair bond over their shared disdain for Biden’s immigration insurance policies. It additionally noticed Musk unsuccessfully attempt to prod Trump into prioritizing renewable power over fossil fuels.
October 2024: Musk joins Trump at Pennsylvania rally after spending tens of millions
When Trump returned to the positioning of the primary assassination try towards him, he shared the rally stage with Musk, who accused Democrats of looking for to remove voters’ freedom of speech and proper to bear arms.
Musk emphatically inspired Trump supporters to “vote, vote, vote.”
By October, Musk had already given almost $75 million to the tremendous PAC he created to assist Trump, based on marketing campaign finance filings. That cash was utilized in half to fund sprawling get-out-the-vote drives in battleground states, together with door-knocking applications in deep-red, historically low-turnout areas.
November 2024: Trump wins the election, after Musk spends $250 million on the race
Trump’s putting victory, by which he received all seven battleground states and the favored vote for the primary time, got here as Musk’s spending for the hassle surpassed 1 / 4 billion {dollars}, based on marketing campaign finance stories. Of that complete, $120 million got here within the last weeks of the race.
In his election night time speech, Trump praised Musk, saying, “A star is born.”
One week after the election, Trump appointed Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to move up a newly shaped Division of Authorities Effectivity, fulfilling a marketing campaign promise to permit Musk to supervise cuts to authorities spending. Ramaswamy later left to pursue a gubernatorial bid in Ohio.
Towards the top of the month, Trump traveled to Texas to observe the launch of Musk’s SpaceX Starship rocket, regardless of beforehand ridiculing the corporate.
January 2025: Musk speaks at Trump’s inauguration rally
Musk spoke at Trump’s inauguration rally at Capital One Enviornment, emphatically lauding Trump’s victory, jubilantly elevating the prospect of taking DOGE to Mars and thanking the gang for voting to ensure “the way forward for civilization is assured.”
“My coronary heart goes out to you,” Musk stated earlier than forcefully touching his coronary heart and elevating his hand in a gesture some critics likened to a Nazi salute. Musk has denied that assertion.
Among the many first govt orders Trump signed on Jan. 20 was one which formalized the creation of the Musk-led Division of Authorities Effectivity. The White Home formally introduced Musk’s function in early February, clearing approach for him to supervise a wide-ranging effort to cut back to the scale of the federal authorities by mass job cuts, the cancellation of analysis applications and grants and the dismantling a federal companies.
March 2025: Trump publicly limits Musk’s authority amid clashes with Cupboard
In an early signal of tensions between Musk and a number of other Cupboard members, Trump positioned limits on his adviser, making clear in a Fact Social submit that staffing selections throughout the federal authorities will probably be decided by company heads, not Musk. The Tesla CEO had been exercising authority over rank-and-file federal staff, together with a risk to fireside them in the event that they did not reply to inquiries relating to their work output.
The brand new publicly established guardrails appeared to do little to harm the pair’s relationship, with Trump every week later turning the South Garden of the White Home right into a Tesla present room to exhibit assist for Musk amid slumping gross sales for his electrical automobile firm.
Could 2025: Musk exits the White Home amid simmering tensions
On the primary day of Could, Musk advised reporters on the White Home that he would quickly step again from DOGE to concentrate on his corporations, evaluating the shift to going from full-time to part-time work. The announcement got here after Tesla reported a drop in its first-quarter revenue and income.
By the top of the month, Musk’s exit was formalized. The White Home on Could 28 confirmed that Musk’s tenure as a particular authorities worker, a short lived function that he quickly would legally must exit anyway, had come to an finish.
Musk thanked Trump “for the chance to cut back wasteful spending,” and the president at a information convention with Musk days later stated, “Elon’s service to America has been with out comparability in fashionable historical past.” Trump introduced Musk with a gold-colored key on the occasion.
However beneath the well mannered exchanges hid simmering rigidity: Musk days earlier appeared on CBS’ “Sunday Morning” and bashed a large Republican invoice, designed to fund a lot of Trump’s home agenda, by condemning the anticipated influence of the laws on the nationwide debt. Trump quickly after pulled the nomination of billionaire Jared Isaacman, an affiliate of Musk, to be NASA administrator.
June 2025: Tensions boil over and spill into public
Days after formally departing the White Home, Musk launched a scathing assault on the Trump-backed invoice making its approach by Congress.
“I’m sorry, however I simply can’t stand it anymore,” Musk wrote in a submit on X. “This large, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending invoice is a disgusting abomination. Disgrace on those that voted for it: you recognize you probably did mistaken. You already know it.”
Requested about these criticisms, Trump expressed disappointment.
“Elon knew the inside workings of this invoice,” Trump advised reporters, earlier than suggesting Musk’s opposition to the invoice was private.
“Elon is upset as a result of we took the EV mandate which was some huge cash for electrical automobiles. They’re having a tough time the electrical automobiles, they usually need us to pay billions of {dollars} in subsidy,” Trump stated.
The assaults rapidly grew extra private.
Musk known as out Trump’s “ingratitude,” arguing that Republicans would have misplaced the 2024 election with out his assist. Trump in response stated Musk “went loopy” after being requested to depart his White Home function, and he toyed with the concept of severing authorities ties with Musk’s corporations.
Musk replied by claiming Trump was in what are often called “the Epstein Information,” and stated Trump’s tariff coverage would trigger a recession. He additionally amplified a submit calling for Trump to be impeached and changed by Vice President JD Vance.
A day after the barrage of assaults, Trump advised reporters he is now not considering of Musk.
“Actually, I’ve been so busy engaged on China, engaged on Russia, engaged on Iran, engaged on so many — I’m not interested by Elon. You already know, I simply want him properly,” he stated.