Billionaire Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s close alliance has been a key highlight of White House proceedings since the administration took office in January, but with Musk now stepping away from the limelight, there are signs that the personal close connection between the two has fractured, Newsweek reported.
Why It Matters
Musk was appointed by Trump’s executive order to head the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked with reducing federal spending, and as the owner of X, formerly Twitter, he has made himself a top supporter of the administration’s policies through his numerous social media posts. After winning the election on November 6, 2024, Trump praised Musk as a “super genius” and supported his electric car company, Tesla, during the height of anti-Musk protests targeting vehicles on March 11, 2025.
Both have often said that their collaboration was based on personal connections, with Musk regularly joining Trump at Mar-a-Lago since his victory in the November election.
What To Know
As billionaire Musk sidelines himself from his public-facing role in DOGE, it seems there has also been growing frustration between him and President Trump, Newsweek reported.
Tesla owner Musk has often clashed with senior White House officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent over the management of the Internal Revenue Service, Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the abolition of USAID (United States Agency for International Development), and the president himself over interference in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election in April, The Atlantic reported.
Musk has also been increasingly critical of Trump’s policies since announcing his full focus on his tech companies (such as Tesla and SpaceX) in May 2025. On Tuesday, May 27, he said he was “disappointed” by Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” because it included excessive federal spending—something Musk and DOGE staff have been trying to reduce for months.
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“It increases the budget deficit, not just reduces it, and undermines the work of the DOGE team,” Musk said in an interview with CBS’s “Sunday Morning.”
“I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don’t know if it can be both. My personal opinion,” Musk added in the interview.
Other conflicts between the two include Musk’s opposition to President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs announced in April 2025. According to Newsweek, Musk’s tech companies rely heavily on global supply chains, which the tariffs have disrupted.
The billionaire also appeared to oppose President Trump’s long-standing push to favor fossil fuels over renewables. He wrote on social media on Tuesday, May 27, “Compared to solar, oil is small-time.”
