The former high-profile friendship between US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, appears to be breaking apart as quickly and publicly as it took to build.
From unlikely partnership, the relationship has grown into a public and acrimonious conflict. Amidst all the fallout, Musk has even threatened to start a new political party.
On Thursday, Musk went live on X (previously Twitter) with a poll questioning his audience, "Is it time to form a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?"
This was at the time of a series of tweets in which the CEO of Tesla publicly criticized Trump's bill. Musk's most inflammatory statement was, "Without me, Trump would have lost the election." He later expressed regret at the lack of gratitude with the statement, "Such ingratitude."
Trump retorted forcefully on his platform, Truth Social, conveying his "very disappointed" sentiments about Musk, who had hitherto been a hardline supporter and intimate in the White House.
Escalating the war further, Trump threatened to withdraw government contracts and subsidies that Musk's firms enjoy. He stated, "The simplest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to cancel Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always amazed that Biden didn't do it!
Addressing the White House from the Oval Office, Trump stated, "I'll be honest, I think he missed the place," suggesting Musk would come to miss being away from the halls of power.
FROM ALLIES TO ADVERSARIES
Just last month, Trump and Musk were as thick as thieves. When Trump dodged an attempted assassination at a rally in Pennsylvania last July, Musk came forward publicly to show his support. He also established a political action committee to support Trump's campaign and made several public appearances with the former president.
Musk was openly on Trump's side — frequently spotted wearing MAGA caps and even riding on Air Force One with him. He attended Cabinet meetings and was counted as a White House insider.
Now, though, their friendship has turned sour into a bitter exchange.
At a recent Oval Office press conference, Musk officially broke with Trump. Notably, Musk showed up sporting a black eye, which he explained was caused accidentally by his young son. Many saw the injury, however, as a symbolic reflection of his rough-and-tumble time in government service.
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