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Today we're diving into the Trump-Musk breakup that exploded across social media. It's the kind of story that's easy to dismiss as noise — two billionaires having a public meltdown. But I think it's news that matters.
This has the potential to fracture Trump's coalition, complicate his ability to pass his "big beautiful bill," and raises serious questions about what happens when the person who controls critical infrastructure like Starlink and SpaceX is at war with the president. (Of course, with these two egos, there's always the chance they kiss and make up and this all becomes a footnote.)
Was this genuine rage or just strategic theater? How might Musk be using his platform to split the MAGA base? And how much leverage does Trump have over someone who's already proven he'll torch relationships for sport — and vice versa?
I asked Malynda Hale, author of #WeNeedToTalk on Substack, to lead a conversation with me. Malynda is an activist, actress, and producer who brings thoughtful perspective to these power dynamics — and she's not afraid to call out the absurdity when she sees it. We discuss the real implications of this clash and what it could mean for the rest of us.
Check out the conversation at the top of this newsletter.
Below, we follow the money on Musk's federal contracts, unpack what may have triggered this blowup, and sort through the he-said/he-said claims flying around.
Plus some breaking news from today you may have missed.
A Breakup Movie for the Ages: How We Got Here
A Separation: Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s relationship imploded in a spectacular public row yesterday. The drama has been riveting, but its impact could be felt around the world — and not necessarily for good reasons. We’ll explore the potential short- and long-term effects of the most important breakup in modern US history. But first, a quick recap.
The Way We Were: Remember, Musk used to be a Democrat. Or, rather, a self-professed “moderate about all issues” who considered “humanitarian issues … extremely important.” He claims to have voted for Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden. Trump, meanwhile, in 2022 wrote that Musk would be “worthless” without government subsidies, and bragged that he could have told the billionaire to “‘drop to your knees and beg,’ and he would have done it.” But in the 2020s, Musk shifted rightwing, becoming increasingly extreme and embracing conspiracy theories. According to Musk himself, that change was at least partially because he felt Democrats snubbed Tesla. In 2024, Musk spent over $275 million (that we know of) helping elect Trump and other Republican candidates.
130 Days of Summer: Musk’s help did not go unrewarded. He spent 130 days in the Trump administration as a “Special Government Employee.” Most of his time was spent leading DOGE and its underage capos in a slash-and-burn effort against the federal government. All while Trump and Musk gave cozy pressers together, effusively praised each other, and generally made us all feel uncomfortable. “I love Donald Trump as much as a straight man can love another man,” Musk tweeted in February. No wonder — at that time, his net worth was up over 50% since the election, and his companies had increased in value by more than $600 billion.
Banshees of Washington: This budding bromance was not to last. This link has a minute-by-minute recap, but the highlights are as follows. Earlier this week, Musk escalated his criticisms of Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” slamming it as a “pork-filled … abomination.” (Here “pork” means spending lawmakers secure for their constituencies.) “I’m sorry,” Musk tweeted, “but I just can’t stand it anymore.” His attacks continued to escalate until Thursday, when Trump told reporters that “Elon and I had a great relationship” but “I don’t know if we will anymore.” For once, Trump underexaggerated. Musk’s attacks became more personal; he claimed Trump “would have lost the election” without his support, polled his followers about creating a “new political party,” reposted a call for Trump’s impeachment, and claimed, without evidence, that Trump “is in the Epstein files,” alleging “that is the real reason they have not been made public.” “Thus spake the ketamine,” far-right operative Steve Bannon stated to NBC News.
Someone Great: An important point of contention was Trump’s sudden decision to withdraw Jared Isaacman’s nomination to lead NASA. Musk put forward Isaacman, with whom he’s close, for the NASA nomination. Musk’s driving mission is to get to Mars and no doubt having Isaacsman at the helm of NASA was important to him. Was his outburst triggered by Trump’s decision to yank Isaacman from the NASA spot? Isaacman claims he was a “visible target” for those looking to exploit “Musk’s deteriorating influence.”
Legally Subsidized: Trump claimed that Musk’s meltdown was triggered “because he knew we had to cut the EV mandate,”Trump claimed. (He’s referring to the elimination of the consumer tax credit for buying electric vehicles that’s included in the GOP tax cut bill. Trump appeared to misunderstand the “mandate” as something that literally “forced everyone to buy Electric Cars,” which isn’t true. It’s just a tax credit.) The bill’s cuts to EV credits made Musk go “CRAZY,” Trump alleged. Musk refuted this, arguing his issue is with the massive projected increase in federal debt due to the bill.
The headlines around this Trump-Musk feud reveal just how differently outlets approach the same story. Breitbart on the right: "Trump Floats Canceling Elon Musk's Government Subsidies and Contracts." Raw Story on the left: "Time to drop the big bomb': Elon Musk Claims he has a huge secret about Trump." And Fox News, threading the needle: "Jake Paul claims Republican party has 'alpha male' problem amid Trump-Musk meltdown." Do you love seeing how different outlets cover the same story? I found these using Ground News. Their app and website curate news sources from across the political spectrum. I use GroundNews to quickly understand different perspectives on stories I care about and to surface fresh points of view. GroundNews is offering the News Not Noise community 40% off their all-access vantage subscription plan. To subscribe, go to GroundNews.com/NNN.
Trump’s Tesla is About to Get Repo’d: What Happens Now
Marriage Story: Breakups are never easy. But if Trump is America’s “daddy,” as Tucker Carlson infamously suggested in 2024, what does this national divorce mean for us children? Unfortunately, we’re a little at the mercy of the emotional states of two infamously volatile, impulsive, and petty men — who also happen to be the richest and most powerful in the world. As I explained in the video at the top of the newsletter, I believe this clash could have consequences for legislation and the cohesion of Trump’s coalition. Here are some of the potential impacts of a true rift:
All That Heaven Allows: Musk’s companies are involved in crucial projects which, if yanked, could have meaningful consequences. He already threatened to “decommission” the SpaceX craft responsible for bringing personnel and supplies to the International Space Station, before appearing to take the advice of a random user on his social media site with fewer than 150 followers and backing down from that threat. Still, far-right operative Steve Bannon suggested Trump use the Defense Production Act to “seize” SpaceX. That’s not exactly what the Act allows for, but that hasn’t stopped Trump doing things yet. Musk’s Starlink, meanwhile, is part of a federal effort to expand internet access across the country and is being used by Ukraine to resist Russia’s invasion, leading Musk to coordinate with top Pentagon officials. And don’t forget the FAA is testing Starlink as part of its effort to modernize the air traffic control system. Bet Elon Musk knows how to make flying into Newark even more harrowing…..
He’s Just Not That Into You: “The easiest way to save money in our Budget,” Trump said yesterday, “is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.” Musk’s companies, which include SpaceX, xAI, and Tesla, are hugely reliant on federal funds — and, just as importantly, federal policies, including regulatory approval and infrastructure support. If Trump were to yank funding from Musk’s projects ($15 billion from NASA and $7.6 billion from DOD, among others) it wouldn’t be good for Musk’s businesses. Tesla’s stock dropped 14% amid the breakup, its biggest single-day drop ever. For reasons stated above, all this could have serious blowback for US infrastructure, too.
Call Me By Your Name: Steve Bannon called on Trump to revoke Musk’s security clearance, look into his alleged drug (mis)use, and “investigate his status as a citizen.” (Musk reportedly was working in the US illegally in the 1990s after overstaying a visa.)
Who Gets the Dog? Bannon and CNN’s Van Jones urged the White House to investigate Musk’s DOGE. Will this happen? On the one hand, Project 2025 co-author and Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russel Vought, said Wednesday that DOGE’s leadership is “decentralized” and that DOGE members are becoming “far more institutionalized” within individual agencies. Some members, including the 19-year-old known as “Big Balls,” have been converted into full-time staffers, and the White House’s 2026 budget includes a request for $45 million for DOGE. Musk himself insisted last week that DOGE would continue without him, calling it “a way of life, like Buddhism.” On the other hand, there are reports that DOGE employees are worried their jobs could be at risk because of the feud — and that their ties to the organization “could become a professional liability,” according to ABC. Buddhism might have a term for that. Oh, yeah. Karma.
