Trump Aims at Musk’s Empire as Tesla Shares Plummet | Carscoops

      A fierce rivalry between Trump and Musk has led to accusations, financial repercussions, and threats that may affect Tesla.

      The bond between Donald Trump and Elon Musk seems to have ended following a public dispute.

      Musk criticized Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” which prompted Trump to retaliate against Musk’s enterprises.

      In his response, Trump threatened to "terminate Elon’s governmental subsidies and contracts."

      Initially, it appeared that Donald Trump and Elon Musk were well-suited for each other, given their status as wealthy, self-absorbed billionaires who seek the spotlight. Yet, both exhibit sensitivity, a questionable grasp of the truth, and a propensity for retaliation.

      These traits are now evident as their friendship has devolved into a public altercation. Musk initiated the conflict by labeling Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill a “disgusting abomination,” referring to it as “a massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill” that “contains the largest increase in the debt ceiling in US history!”

      He further called it the “Debt Slavery Bill” and encouraged Congress to reject it, urging his 220 million followers on X to contact their legislators, stating that “bankrupting America is NOT ok!”

      President Trump initially remained silent in the face of the criticism, but today he lashed out at Musk. In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump claimed he had asked Elon to exit his administration as he was “wearing thin.” Trump further alleged that Musk went “CRAZY” after “I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy electric cars that nobody else wanted.”

      Trump then issued a clear threat, despite asserting “I don’t mind Elon turning against me.” He remarked that the “easiest way to save money … is to terminate Elon’s governmental subsidies and contracts.”

      This came as a direct threat of retaliation, and Wall Street seemed to take it seriously, as Tesla's stock dropped 14.27% today, closing down $47.37 per share at $284.68.

      In response to Trump’s threat, Musk announced that SpaceX would “begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately,” which would leave NASA in a difficult predicament, although they could rely on Boeing’s struggling Starliner.

      Additionally, Musk claimed that Trump is “in the Epstein files” and purports that this is the actual reason they haven’t been disclosed. He also suggested that Trump’s tariffs might lead to a recession in the latter half of this year.

      The exchange of insults will likely persist for the foreseeable future, though it will be intriguing to see if the two can reconcile. If they fail to do so, Tesla may have just added to its already intricate set of challenges.