It’s rare for a US president to openly call the world’s richest man “off the rails” and say he is becoming “a train wreck”, but Donald Trump has never been known to hold back his words. His latest attack on Elon Musk, who was once a close friend and also the richest man in the world, shows how much things have changed. What looked like real friendship has now turned into a serious and bitter fight.
The immediate trigger for Trump’s fury appears to be Musk’s announcement that he might launch a new political outfit—tentatively titled the “America Party”—to challenge the entrenched two-party system.
Trump, the ultimate Republican outsider-turned-insider, was quick to dismiss the idea, reminding everyone that such attempts have repeatedly failed in the past. But this was more than just political commentary. It was a declaration of war.
The fallout is all the more dramatic given how recently the two shared the stage and warm words. As late as May 30, Trump hailed Musk as “an incredible patriot” while announcing his departure from a government advisory role. Musk had once famously said he loved Trump “as much as a straight man can love another man”.
The camaraderie seemed genuine. But just days later, Trump lashed out on Truth Social, claiming Musk had gone “crazy” and was “wearing thin”. The gloves were off. Musk responded on X by dragging Trump into the murky world of Jeffrey Epstein’s scandal, hinting at connections that, if true, would be explosive. From here, the feud became personal and vicious.
Their ideological split became evident when Musk criticised Trump’s flagship legislative proposal, the “One Big Beautiful Bill”, calling it a “disgusting abomination”.
The Bill, among other things, proposed rolling back subsidies for electric vehicles—a blow to Tesla, which is already reeling from falling demand and rising competition. Musk’s opposition appears less about principle and more about survival.
In a move that shocked many, Musk even threatened to decommission his Dragon spacecraft, which serves NASA and carries astronauts—including, currently, an Indian scientist—to the International Space Station. Were he to follow through, it could compromise US surveillance capabilities and rattle global alliances.
But such brinkmanship from a private businessman raises troubling questions. Musk may be brilliant, but politics is not Silicon Valley. In seeking to confront the “most powerful man on Earth”, the South African-born billionaire risks inviting real consequences.
Trump has tools at his disposal—from stripping citizenship to invoking the Defence Production Act to nationalise Musk’s empire. One has money, the other has raw political power. In the end, Musk must remember: you can’t launch rockets into politics without expecting blowback.
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