Musk began sharing vintage Trump tweets that once railed against fiscal irresponsibility. Credit: RKY Photo / Shutterstock.com
What had long been portrayed as a strategic alliance between two powerful figures of American public life unravelled spectacularly this Thursday, 5 June, as Elon Musk publicly accused Donald Trump of being listed among the so-called “Epstein Files” — alleged documentation linking high-profile individuals to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The collapse played out in real time on Musk’s social platform, X, where the billionaire launched into a tirade against the former president following a sharp disagreement over Trump’s proposed fiscal policy. Musk had labelled the Republican tax and tariff package a “disgusting abomination” and criticised those in Congress who supported it, calling their decision a “mistake”.
Trump, for his part, appeared stung by the remarks. “He said very nice things about me in the past,” the former president told reporters, “and hasn’t criticised me personally — though I’m sure that’s next. I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped him a lot.”
Shortly thereafter, Musk responded with a barrage of posts, asserting that Trump would have lost the election without his support, and questioning what had become of the “great guy” he once admired. In the most incendiary claim, Musk stated: “Time for the big one: Donald Trump is on the Epstein list. That’s why it hasn’t been released. Have a nice day, DJT.”
The Epstein Files
The so-called “Epstein Files” refer to a purported set of documents naming those who allegedly benefited from Epstein’s network. While numerous names have already surfaced — including Trump’s — the full extent of the evidence has never been disclosed, fuelling speculation of a cover-up, especially in the wake of Epstein’s death in a Manhattan prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking minors.
Links between Trump and Epstein are not new. A now-infamous photograph captures Trump and Melania posing with Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell at Mar-a-Lago in the early 2000s. Additionally, Trump’s name appeared in Epstein’s flight logs, and Epstein once recounted an episode where they made an impromptu stop in Atlantic City to visit a Trump-owned casino. However, beyond these references, no substantive connection has been legally established.
As the war of words escalated, Trump issued a stark threat: to cut all federal contracts and subsidies to Musk’s companies. “The easiest way to save billions in the budget is to end all government deals with Elon,” Trump posted.
In a twist of irony, Musk began sharing vintage Trump tweets that once railed against fiscal irresponsibility. One from 2013 was captioned “Wise words!”, another from 2012 — “No one should be re-elected if the budget isn’t balanced” — received a succinct endorsement: “100%”.
Though some of Musk’s attacks may be veiled in policy critique rather than personal disdain, Trump’s reaction was swift and unambiguous. The dispute has laid bare the fragility of their alliance and raised fresh questions about the still-shrouded content of Epstein’s files.
What began as a disagreement over taxes has turned into a full-blown public rupture — one which, in Trump’s own words, might make for “good television”, but whose implications reach well beyond mere spectacle.
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