Not only was it inevitable, but it was also predictable. Two prima donas of epoch proportions simply could not occupy the same stage for very long. Whether it means any significant political problems for the president of the United States remains to be seen.
A bromance is a term, that was coined in 2005 in the United States to refer to two heterosexual men who have developed a deep and intimate non-sexual relationship. It is a way to acknowledge and sanction male bonding while making it clear that desire has nothing to do with the friendship. Ever since Elon Musk jumped into the 2024 presidential race to support Trump after an assassination attempt on the Republican candidate’s life, observers have predicted that their newly forged attachment, or bromance, would not last long. And as singer Neil Sedaka reminds us in his classic 1970 tune: “Breaking up is hard to do.”
Some couples leave each other quietly without ire or recriminations. Others want the world do know that they feel deceived, used, or undervalued. Accusations and counteraccusations are inevitably a part of placing blame on the other for terminating the relationship. Each expects their friends and acquaintances to take sides, pointing to their former “bro” as the villain, and the jilted one as the victim.
Trump is used to throwing his former allies “under the bus,” as the English expression goes, that is, abandoning and even denouncing supporters whom he considers have crossed him. Yet, one of his first responses to Musk’s criticism of his “Big, Beautiful Bill,” the annual budgetary authorization, was an out-of-character mildly worded comment that his former buddy’s reproaches were “surprising and a disappointment.”
However, almost immediately the second-rate reality show star returned to his normal self, going on the offensive by insisting that Musk was aware of the bill’s content and had endorsed the legislation in his White House farewell performance ten days ago. The owner of X replied that the proposed bill had been crafted in the dark hours of the night without his knowledge of its contents. He labeled it a “disgusting abomination” and called on Republicans to vote against the legislation that could cause a multi-trillion dollar increase in the federal deficit.
With this, the cat fight began. The immediate reaction of Democrats and others opposed to the current administration, was to simply settle into a comfortable couch with a big bucket of popcorn in hand to enjoy the fray.
Trump insisted that Musk had broken with him because the bill eliminated the $7,500 tax breaks for those consumers who bought electric cars. Here read Tesla.
Musk countered that he could care less about government subsidies of his manufacturing enterprises, although Tesla might lose $1.5 billion over Trump’s threatened cuts. Those trading on the stock market didn’t seem to agree with Musk’s indifference to the fact that his criticism of the president seemed to be hurting the company. Tesla’s value dropped 14%, signaling a loss of $150 billion in market capitalization.
As the feud continued, Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform, also lost 8% in value. Stock values plummeted and recriminations surged. Trump threatened to cut off several billion dollars in other federal government contracts, including SpaceX’s manned spacecraft program. (As in most of Trump’s presidential decrees and public declarations, in his feud with Musk he insisted on asserting constitutional powers that he simply does not possess).
Musk countered with the promise to cancel the Dragon SpaceX program, which ships supplies to four astronauts currently in space and is their only means to return to earth, although within twenty-four hours he withdrew this threat. One could only imagine how bad it would have looked for Musk if the world had witnessed the drama of four space explorers slowing running out of food and water and dying as Musk remained indifferent to their plight because of his disagreements with the president.
As the spat escalated, Trump called on Republicans to “kill the bill” (matar o projeto de lei), threatening to disrupt the president’s most important (and only real) legislation so far that will continue to guarantee tax cuts to the rich and a significant shrinking of social services and health care programs for the poor. Musk then called for the impeachment of the president and capped off his tirade inferring that Trump might be involved in the sexual scandals surrounding financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in prison while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The following day forces on both sides attempted to tone down the verbal battle but neither party is known for discipline and consistency. Trump says he is not interest in mending fences, and Musk seem stuck in his criticism of the president. So far, all but one Republican, have backed Trump in this battle with Musk, although a dozen or so conservative legislators who are opposed to the size of the budget agree with him that the proposed legislation would significantly increase the national debt. Although these fiscal consdervatives could theoretically vote against the final bill and bring it down, Trump has been quite successful so far in disciplining his party to close ranks behind him.
So, what does all this mean?
First, Trump has rid himself of a political liability. Musk who had had close relations with the Obama administration because it supported his efforts to establish a viable electric car industry in the United States, abandoned the Democrats when it appeared that Trump might win the race. Investing among US$300 million dollars in the 2024 presidential race was a means for the richest man in the world to build a political alliance with a candidate who would become the most powerful man in the world. In creating the fake Department of Government Efficiency, Trump sent Musk on a mission to cut $2 trillion from government programs, which in practice has meant dismantling key government agencies and firing hundreds of thousands of government employees.
Second, the arbitrary and sloppy ways that Musk carried out his mandate have provoked a huge backlash, with his approval rate dropping to 45% and half of respondents rating Musk negatively. Having done Trump’s dirty work for him, the president has now turned Musk into his next scapegoat. Although some analysts have predicted that the fight between the two could provoke a wider split in the government coalition, so far it seems that Trump loyalists are not budging.
But as Musk has shown, he has deep pockets. He claims that he is willing to shell out millions of dollars to support candidates opposing Trump’s legislative agenda. In fact, he donated $100 million to support the failed April 2025 election of a Republican to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, although he lost by 10 points to a liberal Democrat, tipping the majority to the left in that judicial body.
It is still unclear whether Musk will actually bankroll Republicans who have bucked Trump’s rule in the 2026 congressional elections when all members of the House of Representative and one third of the Senate are up for reelection.
Should Trump’s tariff wars cause an increase in inflation, which most economists agree is highly possible next semester, the president might not be able to point the finger at others to blame for a downturn in the economy under his watch. Nonetheless, Musk is no longer valuable to Trump and, therefore, can now be thrown into the political dustbin of history by his former bro.
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