The conflict between U.S. President Donald Trump and the world’s richest individual, Elon Musk, is intensifying. In fact, Trump has reportedly ceased communication with Musk, according to a White House official.
Previously, another White House official indicated that Trump and Musk would engage in a conversation to resolve their issues. However, the official, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that no phone call has taken place between Trump and Musk up to this point.
In an interview with several U.S. media outlets, Trump expressed that he is focusing on other matters.
As reported by Reuters on Saturday, June 7, 2025, Trump may consider getting rid of the red Tesla Model S he purchased last March, according to the anonymous official.
The White House statement came a day after Trump and Musk publicly clashed in an extraordinary dispute that marked the end of their close relationship.
During this conflict, Trump hinted that he would terminate government contracts with Musk’s businesses, which include the rocket company SpaceX and its satellite unit, Starlink.
Tesla’s stock rose on Friday, June 6, local time. The electric vehicle giant managed to recover from several sharp losses from previous sessions, during which it had dropped 14% and lost a market value of $150 billion.
The decline, driven by investor concerns over the tensions between Trump and Musk, recorded the largest single-day drop in Tesla’s history.
Musk’s well-known friends largely remained silent during the feud. However, one of his friends, investor James Fishback, urged Musk to apologize.
“President Trump has demonstrated grace and patience while Elon’s behavior has been disappointing and frankly very disturbing,” Fishback stated in a comment.
Musk plays a significant role in financing a large portion of Trump’s presidential campaign for the 2024 election. Subsequently, Trump appointed Musk to lead the Government Efficiency Agency (DOGE) to implement substantial budget cuts.
This situation has led to increasingly negative public sentiment towards Musk, adversely affecting his business empire. A boycott movement against Tesla has spread widely, resulting in a sharp decline in sales. Additionally, many users of X have opted to switch to competing platforms.
The conflict between Trump and Musk escalated on Tuesday (June 3) of this week. Musk, who had resigned from his position as head of DOGE a week prior, criticized Trump’s tax and spending cut bill, which included many of Trump’s domestic priorities.
His opposition complicated efforts to pass the bill in Congress, where the Republican Party holds the majority of seats.
Musk condemned the package as a “disgusting abomination,” claiming it would increase the national debt by $36.2 trillion.
Last week, Trump praised Musk at the White House after he stepped down from his role at DOGE. Musk only managed to cut about half of 1% of total expenditures, far from his reckless plan to reduce the federal budget by $2 trillion.
Initially, Trump remained silent while Musk campaigned against the bill, but he broke his silence on Thursday (June 5), expressing to reporters that he was “very disappointed” in Musk.
“Look, Elon and I have a great relationship. I don’t know if we will remain that way again,” he stated.
The two then exchanged jabs on their respective social media platforms: Trump’s Truth Social and Musk’s X.
“Without me, Trump would lose the election,” Musk wrote, having spent nearly $300 million supporting Trump and other Republicans in last year’s election.
Musk also asserted that the import tariffs imposed by Trump would push the U.S. into a recession.
Musk’s SpaceX plays a crucial role in the U.S. government’s space program. When Trump posted that he might cancel Musk’s contracts, the billionaire responded that he would begin deactivating SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, the only U.S. spacecraft capable of sending astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).
However, Musk ultimately retracted that threat.
The ongoing feud could complicate the Republican Party’s efforts to maintain control of Congress in next year’s midterm elections, especially if Musk withholds financial support or if other major Silicon Valley business leaders distance themselves from Trump.
Musk indicated that he plans to reduce his political spending. This week, he called for all politicians who betray the American people to be fired next year.