In the past, Donald Trump had described Elon Musk as a man that made “driverless cars that crash” and “rocket ships to nowhere.” Within hours of Trump’s assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, Elon Musk fully endorsed President Trump. At a meeting shortly after, Elon opened his pocketbook and became the director of the soon-to-be Department of Government Efficiency.

At his inauguration, Trump calls Musk a star. Elon soon begins overseeing the D.O.G.E. cost-cutting efforts of government agencies. He reinstated Trump on X and made it a preferred platform for the Right. There was a fact that the Trump camp did not make clear to the President. The richest man in the world does not share power. However, the most powerful man in the world did not hesitate to include provisions in his tax and spending bill (the Big, Beautiful bill) that would ultimately hurt Musk’s Tesla company. Musk’s Tesla profits had fallen 71 % in one quarter, and some believe Elon thought Trump would help bail him out.

Another report from ‘The Conversation’ website states that, according to former White House strategist Steve Bannon, what really caused the crash was when the president refused to show Musk the Pentagon’s attack plans for any possible war with China. Bannon is reported as saying, “You could feel it. Everything changed.” That, according to Bannon, was the beginning of the end.

Musk took to social media and expressed his anger. He didn’t just criticize Trump or his Big Beautiful bill that Republicans are trying to enact; he characterized the bill as a “disgusting abomination.” He suggested Trump needed him, claiming Trump would have lost in 2024 without his support. He repeatedly suggested people would have to choose between him and Trump and sent warnings to those who might choose wrongly. Musk has publicly made numerous accusations about Trump and even suggested he should be impeached.

Trump, by contrast, offers mock sympathy and says Elon is troubled or stressed. Republican leaders are cautiously stating support for the President, while not offending Musk. The hope is that the pair can repair their association. Trump seems to have an almost cult-like influence over his base, which is much more about loyalty to him than any particular set of ideals or principles. The president often flip-flops—Musk on Thursday noted Trump was once a professed deficit hawk just like him—and the base often flips right alongside him. When Trump says something baseless or false much of his party rallies around it.

Was this divide inevitable? Is Musk attempting to wrestle a segment of the party from Trump? Will Elon make a run as an indepedent in 2028? Psychologically, narcissists are highly sensitive to perceived slights – real or imagined. Musk may have felt Trump was attempting to diminish his achievements for political gain, violating this pact of mutual respect.

The flip side is that even if Republicans really like Musk that doesn’t mean their devotion to him is comparable. It’s possible to really like two people but clearly like one of them more. There have been signs that Republicans don’t necessarily want more of Musk.

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