President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s escalating feud has taken a personal turn.
After President Trump suggested on his social media platform, Truth Social, that cutting Musk’s federal contracts and subsidies could save “billions and billions” of dollars, Musk responded by implying that the president had ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
"Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!" Musk posted.
Musk offered no evidence to support the claim. Conspiracy theories surrounding the so-called Epstein files have long alleged they would reveal connections between Epstein and high-profile public figures.
Musk later criticized Trump's tariffs, claiming they will send the U.S into a recession. He also said his company, SpaceX, would be "decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft," which delivers cargo to the International Space Station.
The rift between President Trump and Musk has been building. After stepping down from his official advisory role in the administration, Musk began publicly criticizing the Republican-backed funding bill — dubbed the “big, beautiful bill” — warning it would worsen the federal deficit.
During an Oval Office meeting with the German chancellor on Thursday, President Trump suggested Musk’s objections weren't really about the deficit.
RELATED STORY | Elon Musk bids farewell to the White House. What's next for the billionaire?
"Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here," President Trump said.
He added, "All of a sudden, he had a problem, and he only developed the problem when he found out that we're going to have to cut the EV mandate."
Musk was quick to reject that claim on his own social media platform, X.
"False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!" he said on his social media platform X.
Musk also took credit for President Trump’s political success.
"Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate," he said. "Such ingratitude."
Musk, who supported Trump’s candidacy with at least $250 million, has expressed frustration with the bill, which includes tax cuts and funding for initiatives championed by the president. He argued it adds to the federal deficit and undermines the work he did to reduce government spending while leading the Department of Government Efficiency.
Discussion of electric vehicles and Musk’s escalating feud with Trump appeared to spook investors. Tesla’s stock fell 14% on Thursday.
RELATED STORY | 'You know you did wrong:' Elon Musk shames lawmakers who voted for Trump's 'big, beautiful' bill
