In a surprising turn to what was once a headline-grabbing partnership, Elon Musk openly fell out with U.S. President Donald Trump, declaring Trump "should be impeached" and supporting Vice President JD Vance as a replacement.
The unexpected break-up has escalated into a bitter and very public fight between two of the world's most well-known billionaires.
While their public row grew, Musk used his social media site, X, to make a shocking accusation. Musk asserted President Trump's name is mentioned in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation documents and hinted that this is the reason much of the information has been kept under seal from the public.
Time to drop the really big bomb: Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!" Musk tweeted, barely an hour after Trump had spoken out publicly against his "disappointment" in Musk for his opposition to the so-called "Big Beautiful Bill.
Continuing from his bombshell statement, Musk appended, "Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out." He further joined his voice to a post calling for President Trump's impeachment, which was a total departure from their earlier cordial relationship.
Up until recent times, Trump and Musk had been mutual admirers, publicly backing one another for the last nine months. But the passage of a controversial bill of legislation—dubbed as the "One Big Beautiful Bill"—seems to have broken their bond irreparably.
Over the last 24 hours, both have exchanged sharp blows. During a White House press conference, Trump had words for Musk, criticizing him while offering his backing to a bill that would hurt electric car makers like Tesla. Musk fired back quickly, pointing out that the President's backing—both financial and philosophical—was instrumental in Trump's election victory.
Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.Such ingratitude," Musk shot back.
Trump, in the meantime, confirmed their rocky relationship, stating, "Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will any more." He also said that although Musk hadn't personally attacked him yet, "I'm sure that'll be next."
As Tesla shares fell on the news of the bill's passage, Musk unleashed a series of tweets, criticizing the legislation as "The Big Ugly Bill." But his claim that Trump's name is in Epstein-related content represents the most inflammatory of his assertions so far—a likely spark to ignite hot debate in Washington.
The unraveling of their friendship, though dramatic, is not entirely unexpected. Many had speculated whether the outspoken tech mogul and the bombastic former businessman-turned-President could maintain a long-term alliance. It turns out, the break came in less than a year.
Who Was Jeffrey Epstein?
Jeffrey Epstein was a convicted child sex offender and suspected trafficker of minors. He was accused of numerous counts of sexual abuse, including masterminding a massive network to use underage girls for sex exploitation. Epstein was accused of coercing the victims to give him and his influential visitors sexual services at his private homes in New York, Florida, New Mexico, and a remote Caribbean island.
A New Yorker by birth, Epstein started life working as a teacher at the Dalton School. Having been fired in 1976, he moved into finance, climbing rapidly up the professional ladder while developing a portfolio of powerful contacts. It was during this time that he is alleged to have bought and abused many young women and girls, some with the help of close friends.
A police investigation by Florida in 2005 started when a mother claimed Epstein had sex with her 14-year-old daughter. He later was found to have had sex with at least 36 under-age girls. He pleaded in 2008, and in return, he was convicted of two charges. He only stayed in jail for 13 months, which has been largely viewed as being too light.
In July 2019, Epstein was re-arrested—this time on federal charges of sex trafficking minors. But in August of that year, he took his own life in prison, shutting down the legal case and public scrutiny of his relationships.
The Epstein Files
The phrase "Epstein files" describes the enormous body of documents gathered in the course of investigations into Epstein's operations. This comprises names, phone lists, call records, chat logs, videos, and listings of his friends and suspected clients. While American authorities have confirmed the availability of these documents, only portions have been made public.
In February 2025, a Justice Department document revealed that some prominent figures featured in Epstein's contact list. Some of them included President Donald Trump, pop icon Michael Jackson, actor Alec Baldwin, and producer Harvey Weinstein. But no elaborate details of these figures' involvement have been made public.
Some other prominent names mentioned were ex-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger, actress Courtney Love, model Naomi Campbell, and Ethel Kennedy—mother of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. More names mentioned included John Kerry, the late Senator Ted Kennedy, attorneys Alan Dershowitz and Alan Greenberg, and actors such as Dustin Hoffman and Ralph Fiennes.
Trump's ex-wife Ivana Trump and daughter Ivanka Trump also made an appearance in the documents, as well as many others named in Epstein's flight logs. While these logs featured names like Bill Clinton, Kevin Spacey, Prince Andrew, Larry Summers, and Ghislaine Maxwell, among many others.
The Justice Department also published a redacted list of 254 masseuses with Epstein, whose names were withheld because they were victims.
In spite of this long list of names, the investigation's deeper truths are still unrevealed. Musk said that this is not by accident. "The real reason," he asserted, is that Trump's name comes up prominently in the conclusions. Although Musk has not brought any evidence to prove the allegation, he maintains, "The truth will come out."
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