Musk unimpressed by Trump’s U-turn, slams POTUS over subsidies after ‘want Elon to thrive’ remark

Tech giant Elon Musk has responded after United States President Donald Trump made a U-turn and said that he wants Musk and his companies to “thrive” in America. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that he wants Elon Musk’s companies to do well, stating that they get “large-scale subsidies” from the US government. The Tesla boss hit back, saying that “subsidies” the US President is talking about “simply do not exist.” He further stated that SpaceX won the NASA contracts by doing a better job for less money. He warned that taking away these contracts would leave astronauts stranded and taxpayers on the hook.

Responding to a post on X, Musk said, “The subsidies he’s talking about simply do not exist. DJT has already removed or put an expiry date on all sustainable energy support while leaving massive oil & gas subsidies untouched. SpaceX won the NASA contracts by doing a better job for less money. Moving those contracts to other aerospace companies would leave astronauts stranded and taxpayers on the hook for twice as much!”

In a post on Truth Social, Donald Trump emphasised that the success of companies like those owned by Elon Musk would ultimately benefit the United States. He dismissed claims that he intended to harm Musk’s businesses by removing government subsidies, stating that this was untrue. Trump said he wanted Elon Musk, along with all businesses in the country, to thrive—more than ever before. He added that the U.S. was setting records daily and expressed his desire to maintain that momentum, noting that the better these companies perform, the better it is for the country as a whole.

“Everyone is stating that I will destroy Elon’s companies by taking away some, if not all, of the large scale subsidies he receives from the U.S. Government. This is not so! I want Elon, and all businesses within our Country, to THRIVE, in fact, THRIVE like never before! The better they do, the better the USA does, and that’s good for all of us. We are setting records every day, and I want to keep it that way,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The breakup in the bromance of Donald Trump and Elon Musk came days after the tech billionaire exited DOGE after serving the Trump administration in his second term and backing the US President throughout his election campaign, not only as his biggest ally but also as the biggest donor. The public fallout took an ugly turn when Musk claimed that Trump’s name is in the ‘Epstein Files.’ Trump called him ‘crazy’ and said that he is upset because of the ‘EV mandate’ in the ‘big beautiful bill.’ Musk went on to state that the POTUS would not win the election without him – a claim that the US president dismissed. Things cooled down between the two after Musk deleted the Epstein files tweet and apologised for his statements, saying that he “went too far.” Trump, in a reconciliation of sorts, said that he wishes the tech giant well.

The tussle reignited again when Trump’s ‘big beautiful’ tax spending bill was debated in the US Congress. As Trump signed the bill, turning it into a law, Musk said he is launching the “America Party.” However, he has been silent since then. Slamming the tech billionaire in a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump dismissed Musk’s American Party as “ridiculous” and said that his former ‘buddy’ has gone “off the rails.” He said that the third party can create complete chaos and disruption in the United States.