It didn’t take long for Elon Musk and Donald Trump to turn on each other in spectacular fashion.
After a period of friendly relations and bonding, the dynamic between them took a sharp turn into a heated dispute on Thursday. This has caused a rift among supporters of the Republican Party, who now find themselves torn between the allegiance to the wealthiest individual in the world and the president himself.
One of the most surprising turns of events was when Musk publicly called for Trump’s impeachment, implicating him in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. On the other side, Trump’s loyal followers went as far as suggesting the deportation of the billionaire who hails from South Africa.
The disagreement initially stemmed from Musk’s disapproval of Trump’s touted ‘big, beautiful bill,’ and it quickly escalated. This led to the president hinting at stripping Musk of his lucrative government contracts worth billions of dollars.
In a possible sign of cooling late Thursday night, however, White House aides had reportedly scheduled a Friday call between the two men in an attempt to broker peace.
And, in a potential olive branch, Musk replied to a post on X, from billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, pleading for a reconciliation ‘for the benefit of our great country’ and warning that ‘we are much stronger together than apart.’
Musk’s response was brief but telling: ‘You’re not wrong.’
But amid the bombastic break-up, party loyalists in DC have been left scrambling.
The bromance of MAGA dreams came crashing down on Thursday as Elon Musk and Donald Trump turned on each other in spectacular fashionÂ
Emily Wilson, better known as Emily Saves America in MAGA circles, added that although she ‘doesn’t agree with doing this publicly and it’s not a good look for us… compared to Democrats, our party at least goes for it.’
Speaker Mike Johnson stressed to reporters that the spat with Musk is ‘not personal’ and that, despite his failed attempts to get ahold of the Tesla owner, the GOP’s Big Beautiful Bill Act will proceed through Congress
Many have, of course been quick to saddle up to the man in charge – but not everyone is falling in line.
Late last night, the Daily Mail took a snap poll from the MAGA world elite.
The loudest voices were perhaps the most unsurprising.Â
‘I’ll be on the side of the guy that took a bullet for his country. Simple as that,’ CJ Pearson, a conservative activist and co-chair of the Republican National Committee Youth Advisory, told Daily Mail.Â
It wasn’t quite as clear cut a decision for the lawmakers in DC.Â
A panicked Speaker Mike Johnson announced he was urgently trying to reach Musk on the phone. He never got hold of the mercurial business leader.
‘Elon is a friend. I texted him, called him this morning as we were scheduled to speak, and we haven’t yet,’Â Johnson told reporters Thursday evening, while carrying a baby belonging to one of his staffers.
‘Look, I know all of you are very concerned about [Musk’s] tweets, but I think the American people are concerned about things that really matter, and that is making their taxes low, making their economy work, making the border secure, making energy dominance a big thing again, and that’s what our bill is going to do.
‘And that’s what I’m focused on, and the really important things in life.’
Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna said she doesn’t believe Trump is in the highly anticipated FBI report on Epstein
Just last week Trump held a ceremony in the Oval Office celebrating Musk’s accomplishments at DOGE
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was careful with her words, offering a somewhat tepid pushback to Musk
The speaker called Trump’s massive tax and spending cuts bill –Â currently making its way through Congress – a ‘historic step forward’, despite the fact it is largely to blame for the war between Trump and Musk, with the Tesla boss being very vocal in his opposition toward it in recent days.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was also careful with her words, offering a somewhat tepid pushback to Musk on Thursday.
‘This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted,’ she said.
Meanwhile, rank and file Republicans were shocked by a spat that has quickly turned personal.
Indeed, Musk went so far as to outrageously claim that Trump won’t release files related to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein because he is ‘in the files’. Musk has also wildly said the president should be ‘impeached’.
‘Clearly the bromance is over, I’m just trying to figure out what the hell happened,’ New York Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis told the Daily Mail.Â
South Carolina Republican Rep. Ralph Norman admitted he was sad to see the dispute.
‘You got two, two high profile, strong ego leaders, and in some way this is probably bound to happen,’ he said. ‘But it’s sad, really. It’s really sad.’
Others even called publicly for the two men to reconcile.
‘With @realDonaldTrump and @elonmusk, we have the best chance to save America, save the world, and bring lasting prosperity,’ Rep. Beth van Duyne, R-Texas, posted on X. ‘We all have differences on the One Big Beautiful Bill, but work together to make it better and then work together on the next important reforms to fight.’
Raquel Debono, 28, known for leading the ‘Make America Hot Again’ movement, said jokingly: ‘I guess Trump’s not invited to Mars anymore’Â
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., the leader of the House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, said she does not believe Trump is in the Epstein files, as Musk suggests
Addressing some of the more salacious claims made by Musk, leader of the House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, said she doesn’t believe Trump is in the highly anticipated FBI report on Epstein.
‘The fact is I do not believe that President Trump is in the Epstein files,’ she said. Her task force has been working with the Trump administration for months to get the files on the late pedophile released publicly.Â
Meanwhile, Tennessee Republican Tim Burchett reasoned that if the president were in the files, the Democrats would have used it as leverage already.Â
‘Honestly, if any of that stuff was true on Trump, don’t you think the Biden administration would have brought it out? I mean, that’s just ridiculous,’ he said.
There is no suggestion or proof Trump ever was on Epstein island, or flew on his plane.Â
Rep. Luna also shot down Musk’s call for Trump to be impeached: ‘I don’t think the president should be impeached.’
Outraged, Texas Rep. Troy Nehls demanded Musk stop attacking Trump and said ‘this tit-for-tat going back and forth, isn’t helping… stop. You’ve lost your mind.’Â
But not everyone has stayed loyal.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who has received support from the ex-DOGE leader for his opposition to Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill Act’, split slightly with Musk on Thursday, saying the president should not be impeached. But he insisted he still respects the Tesla boss.
‘This is the language Trump speaks in. [Musk] is speaking it back to him,’ Massie said.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) went a step further and controversially called Musk a ‘genius’, adding: ‘Words, to me, don’t matter. It’s what he does.’
Over in the ‘MAGA influencer-sphere’ the verdict seems undecided.Â
Influencer Emily Wilson, better known as ‘Emily Saves America’ in Trump circles, said that though she ‘doesn’t agree with doing this publicly and it’s not a good look for us… compared to Democrats, our party at least goes for it.
‘We go with what we think and feel, we don’t just fall in line with each other. I feel like Democrats are all shady and do everything behind closed doors and eat their own.’
Raquel Debono, 28, who runs ‘Make America Hot Again’ speed dating events, added jokingly: ‘I guess Trump’s not invited to Mars anymore.’
While commentator Arynne Wexler said, ‘we all lost today’, as she rebuked the two men for spatting like Real Housewives.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who has received support from Musk for opposing the most recent Trump-backed bill, admitted that Trump should not be impeached as Musk has said
Commentator Arynne Wexler said ‘we all lost today’ as she rebuked the pair for spatting like Real HousewivesÂ
Conservative activist Robby Starbuck asserted MAGA is stronger ‘with Trump and Elon working together,’ and shared hopes for the pair to bury the hatchet.Â
He said: ‘Elon is right to want a balanced budget and Trump is right to want his signature legislation.
‘Remember, our founders in America did great things, often fought and later made up. This doesn’t need to be a breakup if they let cooler heads prevail.’
Trump, for his part, has said Musk was ‘wearing thin’ and had become pedantic in his obsession with the ‘beautiful big bill’.
The president threatened Musk with contract cuts and has been urged by some to ‘deport’ South Africa-born Musk, despite his naturalized citizen status.Â
Former Trump chief White House strategist Steve Bannon said Thursday that Musk should have his immigration status probed amid the feud.
‘They should initiate a formal investigation of his (Musk) immigration status because I am of the strong belief that he is an illegal alien, and he should be deported from the country immediately,’ Bannon told the New York Times.
New York Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis told the Daily Mail she believes the ‘bromance’ between the two leaders is overÂ
Former Trump White House strategist Steve Bannon suggested that Elon Musk should be deported on Thursday
Musk holds U.S., Canadian, and South African citizenship, and has denied a Washington Post account that earlier in his career he worked in the U.S. illegally.
Political commentator Joey Mannarino told Daily Mail that the coming days will be tough for Republicans because ‘both these guys are so central to the MAGA movement.’Â
‘When that [Epstein] tweet came out from Elon, that’s when we know this thing was not a staged fight and was the real deal. That is a really hard line to cross, and I don’t see how you put the toothpaste back in the tube,’Â Mannarino said.
‘Without Elon, we wouldn’t have X and most of the people commenting on this would be on some obscure telegram channel. Without Trump, we’d still literally be the party of Mitt Romney,’ an undecided Mannarino said – perhaps speaking for many GOP members suddenly finding themselves on the fence.
