Overview

The Elon Musk Donald Trump Breakup, also known as the Elon Musk Donald Trump Fallout, refers to a feud and falling out between United States President Donald Trump and Tesla and X owner Elon Musk regarding Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" (OBBB) Act. In late May 2025, it was reported that Musk was leaving the Trump administration after working for several months in the Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E.), a department started by Musk.

On June 3rd, Musk made a post on X / Twitter speaking out against the OBBB act after Trump claimed Musk only had a problem with it because it would cut the electric vehicle mandate, calling it "pork-filled," and continued to criticize it over the following days, resulting in back-and-forth comments from the two. On June 5th, Musk posted a tweet claiming that Trump was named in the Epstein Files, a rumor that has spread among conspiracy theorists for years. The mudslinging between the two prominent figures quickly garnered widespread media attention and discourse online, as well as spawning memes about the situation.

Background

In November 2024, the launch of the Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E.), headed by Elon Musk and American entrepreneur and politician Vivek Ramaswamy, was announced by the Trump administration with the goal of reducing waste in the government.^[1]

Reportedly, Musk spent a lot of time with President Donald Trump in the months following, to the point where some of his advisors grew tired of his presence.^[2] Musk's closeness to Trump inspired discourse and notably earned him the online nickname of "First Buddy."

On May 16th, 2025, the Trump administration announced the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which would "make his 2017 tax cuts permanent, cut other taxes and boost spending for border security and defense," according to a report by ABC News.^[3] The bill passed the House on May 22nd, 2025.

Developments

Elon Musk Criticizes One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Leaves Trump Administration

On May 27th, 2025, it was reported by media outlets including CBS News^[4] that Musk had made a comment speaking against the OBBB act, quoted as saying, "I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing."

On May 29th, Reuters^[5] reported that Musk would be leaving the Trump administration and that his offboarding began the previous night. The report reads:

His departure was quick and unceremonious. He did not have a formal conversation with Trump before announcing his exit, according to a source with knowledge of the matter, who added that his departure was decided "at a senior staff level." While the precise circumstances of his exit were not immediately clear, he leaves a day after criticizing Trump's marquee tax bill, calling it too expensive and a measure that would undermine his work with the U.S. DOGE Service.

Elon Musk vs. Donald Trump Feud

On June 3rd, 2025, Elon Musk made a post on X^[6] criticizing the OBBB act, writing, "I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it," garnering over 680,000 likes and 107,000 reposts in two days.

On June 5th, the X^[7] account @autismcapital shared a video of President Trump speaking to the press about Musk's post criticizing the OBBB act, saying, "I’m very disappointed with Elon. He knew this bill better than anyone and he only developed a problem when he found out I would cut the EV mandate."

That day, Musk responded to the post, writing, "Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate," garnering over 38,000 likes in under a day.

Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025

Elon Musk went on to make several X^[8] posts railing against the OBBB act over the course of the day. At about 2:37 p.m. EST that day, Trump made two posts on Truth Social,^[9][10] both criticizing Musk and claiming he had a problem with the ending of the EV mandate.

Musk later responded with an X^[11] post reading, "Such an obvious lie. So sad," garnering over 99,000 likes in a few hours.

Elon Musk's "Trump Is In The Epstein Files" Tweet

On June 5th, 2025 at roughly 3:10 p.m. EST, Elon Musk made a post on X^[12] reading, "Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!" garnering over 500,000 likes and 191,000 reposts in under a day.

AOC 'The Girls Are Fighting' Comment

On June 5th, 2025, X^[16] user @gtconway3d posted a clip of Democratic politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) quoting the The Girls Are Fighting meme to joke about the situation between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, gathering over 4.3 million views and 150,000 likes in a day.

“The girls are fighting, aren't they?” pic.twitter.com/JwxbuHhkMK

— George Conway 👊🇺🇸🔥 (@gtconway3d) June 6, 2025

Online Reactions

The feud between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk resulted in numerous reactions, discourse and memes across social media in early June 2025 as the fallout between the two garnered attention.

For instance, on June 4th, 2025, one of Musk's tweets against Trump was posted to the /r/facepalm^[13] subreddit, garnering over 45,000 upvotes in a day.

On June 5th, 2025, X^[14] user @MorningBrew posted a meme about the timeline reacting to the falling out, garnering over 14,000 likes in under a day.

That same day, X^[15] user @ettingermentum posted a meme using footage from Diary of a Wimpy Kid of the characters Greg and Rowley fighting, writing, "nobody: the two most powerful men in the country on a random Thursday:," garnering over 28,000 likes in a few hours.

Search Interest

External References