Trump vs Musk: how a White House bromance exploded into a vicious feud

A once-close alliance between President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk has spectacularly imploded, with Trump lashing out at Musk for forming a new political party.

The President called the move "ridiculous" and asserted that his former ally had gone "completely off the rails."

This public falling out marks a dramatic end to a "bromance" that once saw Musk as a key supporter and appointee in the Trump administration.

The 'Big, Beautiful Bill' that broke the bromance

The catalyst for this high-profile feud appears to be a fundamental disagreement over President Trump's massive tax and spending bill.

Musk, who had been a vocal critic of the legislation, arguing that it would bankrupt the US economy, took a decisive step on Saturday by announcing the formation of the "America Party".

In a post on the social media platform X, Musk declared, “By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it! Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”

The billionaire had been teasing the idea of a new political party for weeks, directly challenging President Trump on his fiscal policies.

This move apparently triggered a sharp response from the President.

“I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely ‘off the rails,’ essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks,” Trump posted on Truth Social late Sunday US time.

He further dismissed the effort, stating, “The one thing Third Parties are good for is the creation of complete and total disruption and chaos.”

This public acrimony is a far cry from the earlier relationship between the two men.

Musk had previously spent millions of dollars sponsoring Trump’s re-election bid, and the President had appointed Musk to lead the "Department of Government Efficiency," colloquially known as DOGE, a body tasked with identifying areas to cut federal spending.

The disagreement over the spending bill has definitively soured that once-cozy relationship.

A war of words: 'ridiculous' vs 'freedom'

President Trump reiterated his disapproval of Musk's new venture in comments to the press. “I think it’s ridiculous to start a third party. We have a tremendous success with the Republican Party. The Democrats have lost their way, but it’s always been a two-party system, and I think starting a third party just adds to confusion,” Trump said on Sunday, as reported by Reuters, just a day after Musk’s announcement.

In his Sunday post, President Trump also took a direct shot at Musk's core business interests, specifically taking aim at what he called Musk’s push for an “Electric Vehicle Mandate.”

Trump claimed this would have “forced everyone to buy an Electric Car in a short period of time.”

This critique aligns with recent policy, as the president’s tax and spending cut bill, which was signed into law on July 4, notably put an end to the tax credits that had incentivized the purchase of electric vehicles.

The public battle between these two larger-than-life figures adds a new and unpredictable dynamic to the American political landscape.