Billionaire Betrayal: How Trump and Musk's Alliance Crumbled

The most powerful bromance in American politics has officially gone nuclear. What started as a marriage of convenience between Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the world's most powerful man and the world's richest, has devolved into a public bloodbath that's sending shockwaves through Washington and Wall Street alike.

The Gloves Come Off

Trump's latest salvo against his former ally is savage.

"Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa," the president declared on Truth Social, before delivering what can only be described as a threat disguised as fiscal responsibility:

"Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!"

The irony is breathtaking. Trump is threatening to weaponize DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency that Musk himself created and led, against its very founder…

The Monster That Eats Its Master

When pressed by reporters about whether he'd consider deporting Musk, Trump doubled down: "We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? The monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn't that be terrible?"

The comment sent Tesla's stock tumbling 5.3% on Tuesday, proving that presidential threats against America's most valuable automaker carry real financial consequences. But Trump wasn't finished. In a series of increasingly heated statements, he warned Musk about losing more than just EV mandates: "He's not going to get his mandate, and he better be careful because he might not get anything else."

Then came perhaps the most personally insulting blow: Trump's wholesale dismissal of the electric vehicle industry that made Musk his fortune. "Who wants an electric car? I don't want an electric car. There's one problem with it, it explodes," Trump declared.

The whiplash is stunning. This is the same president who was promoting Tesla just months ago…

The Hidden Constitutional Crisis

But Musk's most explosive revelation may have been his exposé of what he sees as a constitutional power grab buried in the spending legislation. Musk declared: "Removal of funding for enforcement of federal contempt of court orders is the actual crux of this spending bill. This is nominally aimed at removal of illegal immigrants, but obviously also enables many other abuses of power by the President."

If Musk's interpretation is correct, Trump quietly attempted to neuter the judicial branch's ability to hold the executive accountable, a fascist move that would effectively shield presidential actions from court oversight by removing the funding mechanism that makes judicial orders enforceable.

The Nuclear Option: A New Political Party

Musk's response has been characteristically bold and potentially game-changing. Rather than retreat, he's threatening to blow up the entire political system. "If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day," Musk declared to his 221 million Twitter followers. "Our country needs an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uniparty so that the people actually have a VOICE."

It's a threat that should terrify both major parties. When the world's richest man says he's starting a political party, smart money takes notice.

The Thomas Massie Wild Card

Perhaps most provocatively, Musk has thrown his considerable weight behind Thomas Massie, the Kentucky congressman who has become Trump's personal political nemesis. Massie represents everything Trump despises in the modern Republican Party: independence, anti-zionism, fiscal conservatism, and a willingness to challenge presidential authority. He is real ‘America First’.

"I woke up this morning to find out @elonmusk is supporting my re-election!" Massie announced, likely knowing this endorsement amounts to a declaration of war against Trump, who has promised to personally campaign against Massie and created an entire PAC with unlimited funds to unseat him.

Massie has been a thorn in Trump's side, proposing bills to prevent the president from going to war without congressional approval and exposing provisions in Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" that would ban AI regulation for a decade. His summary of the stakes couldn't be clearer: "It's a referendum on whether members of Congress can think and act independently based on what's best for the country, or whether all members of congress must be reduced to rubber stamps."

The Deeper Battle

The spending bill at the center of their dispute reveals the philosophical chasm. While Trump pushes for massive government expenditure that will add trillions to America's $37 trillion debt, Musk and Massie argue for the fiscal restraint that DOGE was supposedly created to enforce.

I side with Elon and Massie in this. America is almost $40T in debt. That is empire ending.

This is the largest spending bill in history. It cost more than The Cares Act, the American Rescue Plan, the infrastructure bill, and The CHIPS Act combined and it’s not paid for. 

America will borrow another $4 trillion not for clean energy, not to promote health care, not to promote housing, but to pay for tax cuts.

That is why Elon pressed the red button and exposed Trump as a member of the Epstein list in protest to this bill.

The Stakes Couldn't Be Higher

With Trump threatening to cut off the billions in federal subsidies that power Musk's empire, from Tesla's EV credits to SpaceX's NASA contracts, and Musk promising to use his platform to target Republicans who support Trump's agenda, we're witnessing a political standoff with unprecedented stakes.

The tech mogul has already proven he can reshape public discourse through X. Now he's threatening to reshape American politics through a new party and targeted campaign spending. Meanwhile, Trump controls the executive branch and the regulatory apparatus that could make or break Musk's business empire.

What Comes Next

As this high-stakes political poker game unfolds, both men seem determined to call each other's bluff. Musk has promised to post pictures of Republican faces on campaign posters targeting those who support increased spending, while Trump has made it clear that crossing him comes with consequences.

The American people, meanwhile, find themselves spectators to a power struggle that could fundamentally reshape both the Republican Party and the broader political landscape. Whether this ends in one side backing down or in the creation of a genuine third political force remains to be seen.

One thing is certain: the alliance that helped put Trump back in the White House has become a political weapon pointed in both directions, and the collateral damage could be felt for years to come.