Nervous Republicans flee Trump-Elon Musk blast radius

The bromance whitethorn beryllium dead, but Republicans interest that an escalating feud betwixt President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk could unrecorded on, leaving collateral harm successful its aftermath for weeks, months oregon adjacent years.

The proximate origin is the centerpiece of Trump's agenda, the "big, beauteous bill," which Musk is trashing publically and privately. To effort to termination the legislation, he's said helium volition walk wealth to oust Republican lawmakers who ballot for it.

“He does not springiness a f--- astir Republicans oregon the RNC, oregon House seats, oregon whatever,” a Musk advisor said Thursday successful the mediate of a societal media warfare betwixt the president and the tech mogul, who had ne'er aligned with the Republican Party until the past fewer years. The advisor was fixed anonymity to talk candidly astir the blow-up. “He volition stroke them up, helium will. ... I mean, we already cognize Republicans are going to suffer the House. Senate volition apt beryllium fine, but Elon does not springiness a s--- astir that enactment stuff."

Republican lawmakers attraction a batch — particularly erstwhile it comes to their ain legislature seats and chairmanships, which would beryllium successful information if Musk tried to oust them from powerfulness successful adjacent year's midterm elections.

In interviews with GOP lawmakers and operatives with ties to Congress, a wide taxable emerged: Republicans should beryllium frightened of getting crosswise with either Trump oregon Musk — a pugnacious task erstwhile they are slinging mud, insults and threats astatine each other.

In short, different Republicans are similar the kids caught betwixt parents successful the midst of a perchance brutal divorce.

"I'm staying retired of it," said Rep. Don Bacon, who represents a competitory Nebraska district. "There's a bully verse successful Proverbs: 'Stay retired of fights.' I'm staying retired of this one."

But Trump allies are taking shots astatine Musk for his comments astir the president and adjacent encouraging Trump to instrumentality enactment against him.

"People including myself are recommending to the president that helium propulsion each every declaration associated with Elon Musk and that large investigations commencement immediately," said Steve Bannon, a White House advisor successful Trump’s archetypal word and a predominant professional of Musk.

In particular, Bannon said, the South African-born Musk's migration status, information clearance, reported cause abuse, narration with China and "involvement with attempting to get President Xi to the inauguration" should each person scrutiny.

Getting nastier by the minute

Perhaps it was inevitable that the Trump-Musk buddy-trip movie would extremity — however agelong tin the world's astir almighty antheral and its wealthiest antheral unreal that they aren't successful competition? But fewer successful Washington could person predicted that the resulting inferno would devour their nonrecreational and idiosyncratic relationships truthful quickly.

By Thursday afternoon, Musk was retweeting a proposition that Trump should beryllium impeached. In the hours earlier that, Trump said helium was "very disappointed" with Musk for turning connected his signature legislation, which would chopped taxes by $3.7 trillion implicit a decennary and slash authorities spending by $1.3 trillion — leaving a $2.4 trillion shortage — implicit the aforesaid period.

Musk and his allies bristled astatine the proposition by Trump and White House officials that helium was aggravated due to the fact that the measure would termination taxation benefits for electrical vehicles, similar those made by the Musk owned Tesla company.

Musk spent $275 cardinal successful the 2024 elections, mostly to assistance elite Trump, according to run concern records, and Trump rewarded him with a high-profile station arsenic the look of the caller Department of Government Efficiency. The relation positioned Musk arsenic the avatar of a propulsion to chopped the size and scope of the national authorities — a relation that turned him into a arguable fig arsenic helium appeared to revel successful firing workers and closing agencies. At 1 point, Musk wielded a fake chainsaw connected a signifier to exemplify his station arsenic cutter-in-chief.

That each came to an extremity past week erstwhile the 2 men held a chummy Oval Office quality league to denote Musk's departure from the government.

But now, Trump says Musk was "wearing thin" arsenic a peculiar authorities worker and the featured subordinate astatine DOGE. In a Truth Social station Thursday, Trump said the easiest mode to chopped much authorities spending would beryllium to cancel national subsidies for Musk's concern ventures.

Musk fired backmost by picking astatine a scab involving the Trump administration’s withholding of immoderate documents from its hyped merchandise of records pertaining to Jeffrey Epstein, a onetime subordinate of almighty figures — including Trump — who died successful situation aft being charged with sex-trafficking of minors. The Trump medication has released immoderate caller accusation from those records, but astir of it has already been public. Musk tweeted that the "Epstein files" see Trump's name. Trump and Epstein knew each different and Trump's sanction appeared connected formation records for Epstein's plane, but Trump has ne'er been implicated successful Epstein’s maltreatment of underage girls.

Musk besides predicted the system would beryllium successful recession by the 2nd fractional of this twelvemonth arsenic a effect of Trump's policies.

The fallout

Just a fewer months ago, Musk indicated helium would enactment $100 cardinal into governmental committees associated with Trump. That wealth ne'er came — and now, it won't, the Musk advisor said.

In addition, Republicans person to interest that immense sums volition beryllium utilized against them if they ballot for Trump's bill.

"It’s gone," the Musk advisor said of the wealth erstwhile earmarked for Trump's use. "He's going to spell nuclear. He volition enactment Democrats if needed, helium perfectly will."

Democrats watched Thursday's contretemps with glee.

"This is Christmas," 1 Democratic Party operative said successful a substance message.

But adjacent connected a much substantive level, it gave immoderate of Trump's adversaries anticipation that his docket would descend nether the value of Musk's threats.

“The astir important happening that’s happening present is that Musk is sidesplitting this unspeakable bill. If he’s consenting to bash that, past welcome,” said Simon Rosenberg, a seasoned Democratic operative. “This is doing tremendous harm to Donald Trump. There is nary mentation of this that is bully for him. There is thing present affirmative for Trump. He looks anemic and feckless, helium can’t power his buddy.”

That's the presumption from the left. The presumption of a GOP operative adjacent to the White House was that the occurrence underscores Trump's independency from Musk, adding a enactment of optimism that the combat would extremity with harmony.

"President Trump is the brag and determination tin beryllium lone 1 boss. If anything, this deals a stroke to the Democrats’ lame attempts to overgarment the president arsenic a puppet of the world’s richest man," said the operative, who was fixed anonymity to talk candidly astir the 2 almighty men. "On the different hand, I could spot them some backmost successful the Oval bro-ing it up again successful a month, arsenic it whitethorn beryllium conscionable the creation of the deal."

Some GOP strategists said the harm could beryllium contained — but that it's not yet wide whether that volition happen.

"It depends connected however agelong it goes and however nasty it gets," said 1 erstwhile Trump run advisor who counts legislature candidates among his clients.

Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., who chairs the House GOP's run limb and is successful complaint of protecting their 3-seat borderline successful the chamber, said helium believes the rift volition "blow over."

But asked whether helium thought Trump and Musk would marque up, helium conscionable shrugged his shoulders.