PinnedUpdated June 5, 2025, 2:58 p.m. ETPresident Trump’s and Elon Musk’s alliance dissolved into open acrimony over the course of just about an hour on Thursday, with the two men hurling personal attacks at each other over matters both significant and petty.What started as simply a fight over Mr. Trump’s domestic policy bill sharply escalated into who deserved more credit for Mr. Trump’s election victory and why Mr. Musk did not cover up a black eye with makeup and whether the government should cut its contracts with Mr. Musk’s companies and provide it with subsidies.While meeting with Friedrich Merz, Germany’s new chancellor, in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump broke days of uncharacteristic silence and unloaded on Mr. Musk, who until last week was a top presidential adviser.Videotranscriptbars0:00/0:26-0:00transcriptTrump on Musk: ‘I’m Very Disappointed in Elon’President Trump spoke out against his former ally on Thursday after Elon Musk expressed his dismay over the president’s domestic policy bill earlier this week.He became a little bit different. And I can understand that. But he knew every aspect of this bill. He knew it better than almost anybody, and he never had a problem until right after he left. And if you saw the statements he made about me — which I’m sure you can get very easily, it’s very fresh on tape — he said the most beautiful things about me. And he hasn’t said bad about me personally, but I’m sure that’ll be next. But I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot.President Trump spoke out against his former ally on Thursday after Elon Musk expressed his dismay over the president’s domestic policy bill earlier this week.CreditCredit...Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times“I’m very disappointed in Elon,” Mr. Trump said. “I’ve helped Elon a lot.”As the president criticized Mr. Musk, the billionaire responded in real time on X, the social media platform he owns.“Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” Mr. Musk wrote. “Such ingratitude,” he added, taking credit for Mr. Trump’s election in a way that he never has before.By Thursday afternoon, Mr. Musk was floating leaving the Republican Party to form a new entity. Mr. Trump, for his part, was accusing him of “Trump derangement syndrome.”Mr. Musk had been careful in recent days to train his ire on Republicans in Congress, not Mr. Trump himself. But he discarded that caution on Thursday, ridiculing the president in a pattern familiar to the many previous Trump advisers who have fallen out of favor.Here’s what else to know:A shattered alliance: The public break comes after a remarkable partnership between the two men. Mr. Musk deployed over $250 million to back Mr. Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. After Mr. Trump won, he gave Mr. Musk free rein to slash the federal work force. Just last week, Mr. Trump gave Mr. Musk a personal send-off in the Oval Office, praising him as “one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced,” while Mr. Musk promised to remain a “friend and adviser to the president.”Musk’s leverage: Elon Musk created a poll on X that asked his followers if there should be a “new political party” that represents “the 80 percent in the middle.” He has often portrayed himself as a centrist, despite his engagement with right-wing leaders around the world. Although he promised $100 million to groups controlled by the Trump political operation, he has not delivered it, and could funnel his considerable wealth into this idea as his next political project.Online chaos: Now unshackled from loyalty to the Trump party line, Mr. Musk has returned to fomenting chaos on X. Mr. Musk panned the president’s signature domestic policy bill as a “disgusting abomination” and telling House members who voted for it: “You know you did wrong.” Mr. Musk has often criticized legislation, agencies and others that are against the interests of himself and his companies, which include the electric carmaker Tesla and the rocket company SpaceX.Kate Conger, Michael Gold and Jonathan Swan contributed reporting.June 5, 2025, 3:01 p.m. ETMusk appears to be frustrated at Trump’s withdrawal of Jared Isaacman as the next NASA administrator. On Thursday, Trump said in a news conference that he had revoked the nomination because Isaacman was “a Democrat.” In response, Musk reshared a Trump post on X from December in which the president had praised Isaacman as “ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era.”June 5, 2025, 2:58 p.m. ETElon Musk and President Trump at the Oval Office last week. On Thursday, Mr. Trump criticized Mr. Musk during an Oval Office meeting with the chancellor of Germany.Credit...Haiyun Jiang for The New York TimesSix days ago, Elon Musk and President Trump were in the Oval Office singing each other’s praises.Not anymore.On Thursday, the rapid unscheduled disassembly of their relationship played out in a news conference and on social media, after Mr. Musk’s departure as a special government employee last Friday. At the time, the tech billionaire said he hoped to continue as “a friend and adviser to the president.”Mr. Trump’s and Mr. Musk’s whirlwind bromance publicly started when the world’s richest man endorsed Mr. Trump for president in July. Mr. Musk then campaigned for Mr. Trump.Since the election, Mr. Musk has largely appeared inseparable from the president’s side, helping to shape the federal government, make policy decisions and meet with other world leaders as the “first buddy.”But more recently, there have been signs of disagreement. In an earlier public break with the administration, Mr. Musk slammed the president’s top trade adviser, Peter Navarro, as a “moron” and “dumber than a sack of bricks” in a series of posts on X, his social media site, in April.Mr. Musk started publicly criticizing Mr. Trump’s domestic policy bill last week, saying in a CBS News interview that he was disappointed in the legislation’s size and impact on the deficit.Things have unraveled from there. On Saturday, Mr. Trump said he would withdraw the nomination of Jared Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur and close ally to Mr. Musk, to be the next NASA administrator. Mr. Isaacman has been an avid customer of Mr. Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX, and his removal was viewed by some as a repudiation of Mr. Musk’s influence.Elon Musk at a cabinet meeting in the White House in April.Credit...Pete Marovich for The New York TimesOn Tuesday, Mr. Musk fired back on X, criticizing a sweeping Republican domestic policy bill that Mr. Trump had backed, as a “disgusting abomination.” The Tesla and SpaceX chief executive argued that a bill, which is known officially as the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, could be either big or beautiful — but not both.“I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore,” Mr. Musk posted. He added that the bill would “increase the already gigantic budget deficit” and counter the work he had done to slash government spending through the Department of Government Efficiency.The billionaire also suggested that he might help challenge members of Congress who supported the bill in the 2026 midterm elections. “In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people,” he wrote.Mr. Musk continued his warpath against the legislation on Wednesday, posting on X he would end the bill.“Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok!” he wrote. “KILL the BILL.”Mr. Trump gave his first public response to Mr. Musk’s posits during a news conference on Thursday, noting that the was “very disappointed” with the billionaire. The president also suggested that he would have won the election without Mr. Musk’s help.Mr. Musk shot back on X, saying “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.”June 5, 2025, 2:54 p.m. ETFor almost a year now, Musk has at times been amazed by the amount of influence he had with Trump. One early, telling anecdote: In April 2024, Musk was shocked that a few minutes after he texted Trump to stop denigrating early voting, Trump did exactly that. Now, that influence appears headed for the wood-chipper.June 5, 2025, 2:52 p.m. ETTesla’s share price has steadily fallen over 10 percent today, erasing much of its rise from May in a matter of hours. The move is set to wipe out more than $100 billion from Tesla’s roughly $1 trillion valuation.June 5, 2025, 2:52 p.m. ETSenators have been cautious when asked to respond to the very public mudslinging between Elon Musk and President Trump, two public figures known for using their massive platforms to pressure lawmakers to adopt their political positions. Musk, one of the world’s richest people, has previously threatened to fund primary challengers for Republicans who did not back his favored agenda -- which at the time was Trump’s. But Republican voters are still very much in Trump’s thrall, and his endorsement carries significant weight with the party’s base.June 5, 2025, 2:48 p.m. ETTrump is also threatening to cut Musk’s government contracts.“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” he wrote on Truth Social. “I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”June 5, 2025, 2:46 p.m. ETAs lawmakers weigh how to react to the feud between President Trump and Elon Musk, the billionaire issued a warning on X suggesting he could cause problems in their future political careers. “Some food for thought as they ponder this question: Trump has 3.5 years left as president, but I will be around for 40+ years,” Musk wrote.June 5, 2025, 2:40 p.m. ETPresident Trump is now responding to Elon Musk on Truth Social. The president said he asked Musk, who was “wearing thin,” to leave. “I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!” Trump wrote.June 5, 2025, 2:37 p.m. ETAsked if he was concerned that Elon Musk was turning his back on Trump and attacking what the president has dubbed his “big, beautiful bill,” Senator Rick Scott of Florida said that Musk was a “patriot” for caring about the deficit and argued that it was possible to balance a budget while supporting Trump’s agenda. Of Musk, he said “I’m appreciative that he cares.“Credit...Kenny Holston/The New York TimesJune 5, 2025, 2:36 p.m. ETSenator Rick Scott, Republican of Florida, downplayed any concern that Elon Musk might use his sizable fortune to back primary challengers to Republicans who did not support revising the domestic policy bill to meet his criticisms. “Who’s got the best ideas, they should win,” Scott said at the Capitol. “And so Elon Musk, he’s got money, just like you’ve got money. It’s best to invest your money in people that you believe are going to do the best thing for you.”June 5, 2025, 2:34 p.m. ETAshley St. Clair, a right-leaning writer who has a child with Musk but is estranged from the billionaire, jumped into the discussion on X. “Hey @realDonaldTrump lmk if u need any breakup advice,” she wrote.June 5, 2025, 2:30 p.m. ETElon Musk still holds a bit of leverage over President Trump. Musk told the White House that he planned to donate about $100 million to Trump-controlled groups, as Maggie Haberman and I reported in March. But as of last week, that donation had yet to be made.June 5, 2025, 2:26 p.m. ETDavid Sacks, President Trump’s Cryptocurrency and Artificial Intelligence czar, is among the hosts of the “All-In” podcast, which is known for its right-wing politics.Credit...Haiyun Jiang for The New York TimesThe fracturing relationship between President Trump and Elon Musk presents a tricky moment for the so-called Tech Right, a small but vocal group of elite Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who have in recent years embraced both the president and the world’s richest man.That is especially true for members of the “All-In” podcast, a popular show started by three entrepreneurs and venture capitalists — David Sacks, Chamath Palihapitiya and Jason Calacanis. They have gained notoriety in the largely liberal tech industry for their alignment with right-wing politics.Mr. Sacks also has ties to the Trump administration. In 2024, he was appointed Cryptocurrency and Artificial Intelligence czar.Most of the group, however, is tied closely to Mr. Musk. Mr. Sacks and Mr. Calacanis advised the tech billionaire during his acquisition of Twitter, now known as X, in 2022, and regularly hosts him on their podcast.The men generally agree on political issues. They oppose progressive causes and want to tamp down regulation in key areas like A.I. and crypto.In recent weeks, some of the Tech Right have criticized Mr. Trump’s decisions in public. When the president enacted steep tariffs that threatened to upset the supply chains of some Silicon Valley startups, founders posted on X, questioning the decisions.Many entrepreneurs also turned to another trusted ally to weigh in on the matter: Mr. Musk.June 5, 2025, 2:23 p.m. ETElon Musk often uses polls on social media to build consensus around decisions he wants to make. In late 2022, after he bought Twitter, he used a poll to ask users if he should bring back Trump’s then-suspended account, an action he had already signaled his support for. A few weeks after that, he used another poll to ask his followers if he should step down as chief executive of Twitter.June 5, 2025, 2:20 p.m. ETElon Musk launched a poll on X that asked his followers if there should be a “new political party” that represents “the 80 percent in the middle.” The billionaire has often portrayed himself as a centrist, despite his engagement with right-wing leaders around the world. Although he promised $100 million to groups controlled by the Trump political operation, he has not delivered it, and could funnel his considerable wealth into this idea as his next political project.June 5, 2025, 1:56 p.m. ETAfter Trump claimed Musk was upset that tax credits for electric vehicles were stripped from the bill, Musk shared a video snippet of Trump speaking during a March promotional event for Tesla at the White House. “I ended the EV mandate. He never even complained to me,” Trump said at the time, referring to Musk. “Remember this?” Musk wrote in a post that shared the clip and tagged Trump’s account on X.Credit...Doug Mills/The New York TimesJune 5, 2025, 1:55 p.m. ETOn X, Elon Musk continued his war of words against Trump by digging up old posts from the president criticizing past federal budgets. “I couldn’t agree more,” Musk wrote as a caption for a 2012 post from Trump that reads, “deficits not allowed!”June 5, 2025, 2:07 p.m. ETMusk later doubled down on this post. “Where is the man who wrote these words? Was he replaced by a body double!?” he wrote on X. Body doubling conspiracies, which suggest a politician has been replaced by a look-alike, have grown common in online political discourse over the past few years. Social media users have floated similar outlandish conspiracy theories about Hillary Clinton and Melania Trump. President Trump has also engaged with similar claims in the past, re-sharing a post on Truth Social on Saturday that suggested former President Joseph R. Biden had been replaced by a body double.June 5, 2025, 1:46 p.m. ETWith the Musk-Trump fight now public, this administration has one more feature of the last one — a caustic and visible bustup between the president and a top adviser. For the most part, Trump has avoided that this term.June 5, 2025, 1:33 p.m. ETElon Musk has a history of posting first and dealing with the repercussions later. On social media, he has accused someone of being a “pedo guy” without evidence and claimed that he had the funding to take Tesla private when he did not.June 5, 2025, 1:32 p.m. ETThe stock price of Tesla has been nose-diving today as Elon Musk and President Trump go at each other. The stock is now down about 8 percent as of midday, with the decline timed to when Trump’s comments began.June 5, 2025, 1:31 p.m. ETIt doesn’t appear that Musk posts about Trump were planned. He appeared to be digesting Trump’s press conference via videos and posts on X and reacting in almost in real-time to the president’s comments.June 5, 2025, 12:52 p.m. ETElon Musk trained his fire directly at President Trump after several days of mostly criticizing Republicans in Congress. He accused Trump on X of “ingratitude” and said, “Without me, Trump would have lost the election.”Credit...Anna Moneymaker/Getty ImagesJune 5, 2025, 12:29 p.m. ETElon Musk responded in real time to Trump on X. He reposted a video of Trump saying Musk “knew the inner workings of the bill better than anybody sitting here.”“False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!” Musk wrote.June 5, 2025, 12:20 p.m. ETTrump said Musk missed the Oval Office and compared him to other former aides who became hostile after they departed his administration.VideoCreditCredit...Doug Mills/The New York Times