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The spectacular explosion on Thursday between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk destroyed an alliance, which was always unstable, between two of the world’s most powerful men. Their rivalry can have long -term consequences if it continues or even intensifies.
Here are eight ways in which they could hurt each other.
What could musk do
- Use your billions against Trump, your allies and your agenda. After spending more than $ 250 million to help elect the president, Musk could easily fund Republican campaigns. He called the Trump Domestic Policy bill of a “disgusting abomination” and on Thursday, attacked Republican leaders of Congress at X, his social media company. (Musk could also retain the last $ 100 million of his promise to support Trump.)
- Use social networks to disturb. On Thursday afternoon, Musk posted a poll in the X asking if it was time to “create a new political party in America that really represents the 80% of the middle.” More than 80% of almost 2 million respondents have so far vote for “yes.” And responding to a post suggesting that “Trump should be impeached,” Musk said, “Yes.” (It was not totally clear if he agreed with impeachment or another part of the post.)
- Drag Trump for the controversy. After enjoying a close relationship with the president for months, Musk could now cause Trump problems claiming to have internal information. On Thursday, without evidence, he said the Trump administration delayed the release of files about Jeffrey Epstein because the name of Trump appeared in them. “Mark this post to the future,” he wrote. “The truth will appear.” Chamber democrats quickly enjoyed the post.
- Use your companies to disturb management. Musk wrote that “immediately” would disable Spacex’s Dragon Spacenavon, which transports NASA astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station. The threat led Steve Bannon, Trump’s ally and one of Musk’s greatest critics, to suggest that Trump “confiscation to Spacex tonight before midnight” through an executive order.
What Trump could do
- Cut contracts with musk companies. In his own social media platform, Truth Social, Trump suggested that ending government contracts with various musk companies, including Spacex and Tesla, would be “the easiest way to save money on our budget.” Last year, musk companies received promises of $ 3 billion in almost 100 contracts with 17 government agencies.
- Investigate the status of immigration and use of drugs from Musk. Bannon asked on Thursday a “formal investigation into his immigration status, because I strongly believe that he is an illegal immigrant and should be deported immediately.” Musk is a naturalized US citizen, born in South Africa. Bannon has also requested an investigation into musk drug use and his efforts to be informed about information classified on military plans involving China.
- Revoke Musk’s security authorization. Bannon suggested that musk’s ultra -secret authorization should be suspended during investigations into the technology billionaire. But Trump could also fully revoke Musk’s authorization, which he has as part of government contracts involving Spacex’s work with NASA. This would make it very difficult for Musk to continue working with the government.
- Use the power of the presidency against him. Trump has a huge range of powers at his disposal, with the ability to sign executive orders by punishing political opponents and directing agencies such as the Justice Department to start investigations. He could end some of Musk’s favorite projects, such as the so-called government efficiency department, as well as his support for white South Africans, a musk priority.
c.2025 The New York Times Company
