While billionaire Elon Musk has been involved with President Donald Trump in the past, never has the relationship between them seemed as chummy as it did this year.
During Trump’s first presidential term, Musk served on multiple Trump advisory councils, but resigned after Trump announced he intended to pull America out of the Paris Climate Accords.
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Despite that clash, it seemed as if Musk had gotten over it by the time January 2025 rolled around.
It was then that Musk formally entered service with Trump for his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) project, which he claims has saved $175 billion dollars, per the official Doge.gov website.
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Musk paid quite a price for his work with DOGE, however. Spending a few months away from Tesla resulted in both public criticism and plummeting revenue for the famed EV company.
During its Q1 earnings call, Tesla reported a whopping 71% drop in profit, causing the stock to plummet in response. Since then, Musk has promised to fully refocus on Tesla, but many watching his moves are not convinced he can save the ailing EV company.
On top of all that, there have been signs over the last few days that despite seeming like besties for the first half of 2025, Musk may be souring on the friendship with President Trump.
President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s relationship may be on the verge of change.
Image source: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Musk issues a challenge to Trump’s plans
On May 28 at 11:29 p.m., the Tesla Energy X account sent out a tweet directly addressing President Trump’s plans to end the EV energy tax credits as outlined in his “One Big Beautiful” bill currently in the hands of the Senate.
“Abruptly ending the energy tax credits would threaten America’s energy independence and the reliability of our grid — we urge the Senate to enact legislation with a sensible wind-down of 25D and 48e,” the tweet reads.
“This will ensure continued speedy deployment of over 60 GW capacity per year to support AI and domestic manufacturing growth.”
Related: Elon Musk has surprising message on Big Beautiful Bill income tax cuts
The message’s timing is of interest, as Musk also expressed disagreement with Trump publicly for the first time in clips from a “CBS Sunday Morning” interview, which will be aired in its entirety on June 1.Â
“I think a bill can be big or it could be beautiful. But I don’t know if it could be both,” Musk said.
“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing.”
Musk also formally ended his work as a special government employee on May 28, sending a tweet the same day to formally thank Trump and forecast the future of DOGE.
“As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending. The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,” it read.
Related: Veteran hedge fund manager sounds alarm on Tesla’s stock
