Elon Musk went after former President Donald Trump on social media Thursday, firing back just moments after Trump publicly criticized him. The fight marked a dramatic and unexpected breakdown in their relationship, especially since Musk has been one of Trump’s biggest supporters and even donated over \$250 million to help get him elected.
In a tweet, Musk claimed that without his help, Trump would’ve lost the election, Democrats would now control the House of Representatives, and the Republicans would barely hold the Senate. He called Trump ungrateful for turning on him.
Trump, speaking during a press conference at the White House, said Musk was angry because a key part of the bill—tax incentives for electric vehicles—had been removed. Trump hinted that this disagreement might mean the end of their friendship. It was the first time Trump had addressed Musk’s recent attacks on the bill.
Musk didn’t deny that he was upset about the electric vehicle credits being dropped. He tweeted that it was “very unfair” that the bill kept subsidies for oil and gas companies while taking away support for electric vehicles. He also complained that he never saw the bill before it passed and that it went through Congress so fast that barely anyone had time to read it.
Trump also accused Musk of having what he called “Trump derangement syndrome”—a phrase he uses to describe people who turn against him after working with him or being in his circle.
Earlier that same day, Musk dug up an old 2013 tweet from Trump, where Trump criticized Republicans for raising the debt ceiling. Musk called those “wise words.” He reposted it in response to Trump’s current proposal to completely eliminate the debt ceiling as part of his latest legislative effort.
All of this happened just days after Musk officially left his role in the White House. Since then, he’s been blasting Trump’s new bill, mainly over how much money it could add to the national debt.
