President Donald Trump and his biggest political supporter Elon Musk are breaking up in the most public and 21st century way — via their own social networks. And while many predicted the Trump-Musk pair up would eventually sour, it’s still worth asking and trying to answer, “How did we get here?”
Until recently, Musk has been a key figure in Trump’s inner circle. The connection has affected broad swaths of the government, notably through the “Department of Government Efficiency,” an organization created by an executive order and advised by Musk.
Musk, once a fixture at Trump’s Mar-a-lago Resort in Palm Beach, Florida and the White House, has now turned against the president. The source of his discontent: the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a 1,038-page piece of legislation that was passed May 22 by the House of Representatives. It now heads to Senate, the next step in the bill’s path toward becoming a law.Days later, Trump withdrew his nomination of Jared Isaacman , Musk’s pick to head NASA — a move widely viewed as evidence of their faltering relationship. But even through the end of the month, Trump and Musk publicly played nice.
The mood shifted — in a public, scorched earth kind of way — this week.
“I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore,” Musk wrote on X on Tuesday. “This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”
I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore.This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination.Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 3, 2025
The bill is presented as an effort to cut taxes and invest in American businesses. However, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that while the bill will cut taxes …