TIMELINE: Inside the evolving relationship between Trump and Musk from first term to this week's fallout

The fallout betwixt Elon Musk and President Donald Trump is an evolving concern marked by a nationalist blowup connected Thursday, but their narration ties backmost to Trump’s archetypal word and adjacent earlier.

A November 2016 CNBC interrogation with the Tesla CEO, who’s present the richest antheral successful the world, took a captious code of the present president conscionable days earlier helium was elected president successful an upset that signified the spot of the populist movement. 

"Honestly, I deliberation Hillary’s economical policies and her biology policies peculiarly are the close ones, you know, but yeah. Also, I don’t deliberation this is the finest infinitesimal successful our ideology astatine all," Musk said.

"Well, I consciousness a spot stronger that astir apt he’s not the close guy. He conscionable doesn’t look to person the benignant of quality that reflects good connected the United States," helium aboriginal added successful the interview.  

'KILL BILL': ELON MUSK'S CONSERVATIVE EVOLUTION PUTS HIM AT ODDS WITH TRUMP ON KEY LEGISLATION

U.S. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk be a property league successful the Oval Office of the White House successful Washington, D.C., May 30, 2025. (REUTERS/Nathan Howard)

During Trump's archetypal term, Musk was portion of immoderate of his economical advisory councils, which often includes CEOs, but yet near his station due to the fact that helium disagreed with the president’s determination to exit the Paris Climate Accords.

"Am departing statesmanlike councils. Climate alteration is real. Leaving Paris is not bully for America oregon the world," Musk posted astatine the time.

The 2 continued to person an on-and-off relationship, but determination were immoderate affirmative signs successful May 2020.

"Elon Musk, congratulations.  Congratulations, Elon. Thanks, Elon. For Elon and 8,000 SpaceX employees, contiguous is the fulfillment of a imagination astir 2 decades successful the making," Trump said astatine the Kennedy Space Center successful May 2020.

And astatine the SpaceX Demo-2 launch, Trump said helium and Musk pass regularly.

"Well, I won’t get into it.  But, yea — but I talk to him each the time.  Great guy.  He’s 1 of our large brains.  We similar large brains.  And Elon has done a fantastic job," helium said.

ELON MUSK'S NET WORTH PLUMMETS BY $34B AMID ESCALATING FEUD WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Fast guardant to 2022, erstwhile Musk purchased Twitter and renamed it X, and brought backmost Trump’s relationship that November, aft it was suspended aft the events of Jan. 6, 2021. In 2022, Musk besides announced that helium would ballot Republican, but indicated helium would backmost Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis if helium opted to question the nomination.

DeSantis launched his run connected X successful a "space," a virtual nationalist lawsuit forum, with Musk, who besides reportedly importantly financially backed the Florida governor, according to The Wall Street Journal.

However, a large turning constituent was successful July 2024, aft the assassination effort of Trump astatine a rally successful Butler, Penn.

"I afloat endorse President Trump and anticipation for his accelerated recovery," Musk posted.

Musk past campaigned for the president, including a celebrated infinitesimal erstwhile helium was jumping connected signifier astatine his comeback rally successful Butler.

WOULD DONALD TRUMP HAVE WON THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION WITHOUT ELON MUSK'S HELP?

BUTLER, PA - OCT. 5: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speaks with erstwhile president Donald Trump during a run lawsuit astatine the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, successful Butler, Pa.  ((Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images))

"I privation to accidental what an grant it is to beryllium present and, you know, the existent trial of someone's quality is however they behave nether fire, right?" Musk said astatine the rally. "And we had 1 president who couldn't ascent a formation of stairs and different who was fist pumping aft getting shot."

"This is nary mean election," the tech CEO continued. "The different broadside wants to instrumentality distant your state of speech."

"Just beryllium a pest to everyone," helium added. "You know, radical connected the thoroughfare everywhere: Vote, vote, vote!"

The tech billionaire spent astir $300 cardinal done America PAC to boost plaything authorities elector efforts, including Pennsylvania. 

By the clip the statesmanlike predetermination rolled around, Trump and Musk appeared to beryllium adjacent friends arsenic the Tesla CEO was with Trump successful Mar-a-Lago connected predetermination night. Over the adjacent fewer days, Musk remained successful Florida and was reportedly advising Trump connected appointments and argumentation arsenic the modulation to a caller medication kicked off. 

A week later, soon earlier Musk and the caller president appeared astatine a SpaceX motorboat unneurotic successful Texas, Trump announced that Musk and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy would beryllium heading up the Department of Government Efficiency successful an effort to escaped the authorities of waste, fraud, and abuse. 

Trump described the brace arsenic "two fantastic Americans' and though Ramaswamy near that station successful January and is present moving for politician successful Ohio, Musk stayed connected and rapidly became the look of an bureau that made him the main people of attacks from Democrats pushing backmost connected spending cuts that they argued were excessively drastic.

Protests erupted nationwide against Musk and DOGE including violent outbursts astatine his Tesla dealerships that tanked the company's banal and were labeled arsenic acts of "domestic terrorism" by the Justice Department. 

FLASHBACK: TOP FIVE WILDEST MOMENTS FROM ELON MUSK'S DOGE TENURE AS IT COMES TO AN END

President Donald Trump bought a Tesla from Musk astatine the White House arsenic a amusement of enactment earlier this twelvemonth erstwhile the EV-maker faced user backlash implicit Musk's governmental activism.  (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

During the archetypal fewer months of the year, Musk and Trump were spotted unneurotic astatine respective viral events including a UFC fight, an Oval Office gathering wherever Musk's lad "Little X" stole the show, and a furniture gathering successful precocious February wherever Musk was the main focus. 

In March, Trump hosted Elon astatine a Tesla showcase successful beforehand of the White House amid a dip successful Tesla banal wherever the president told reporters helium was purchasing a Tesla portion touting the company.

As Musk's clip astatine DOGE began to upwind down, his worker classification allowed him to service for 130 days, the recently formed bureau had go the poster kid of anti-Trump sentiment from Democrats who consistently attacked the $175 cardinal successful spending cuts that DOGE estimated it delivered.

Signs of fracture successful the narration began showing successful precocious May erstwhile Musk took a nationalist changeable astatine Trump's "big beauteous bill" arsenic it made its mode done Congress. 

"I was disappointed to spot the monolithic spending bill, frankly, which increases the fund deficit, not conscionable decreases it, and undermines the enactment that the DOGE squad is doing," Musk said.

Two days later, Musk announced his authoritative departure from DOGE.

"As my scheduled clip arsenic a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would similar to convey President @realDonaldTrump for the accidental to trim wasteful spending," Musk said, adding that the effects of DOGE "will lone fortify implicit clip arsenic it becomes a mode of beingness passim the government."

 U.S. President-elect Donald Trump greets Elon Musk arsenic helium arrives to be a viewing of the motorboat of the sixth trial formation of the SpaceX Starship rocket  (Brandon Bell)

DOGE, which fell abbreviated of Musk's archetypal extremity of slashing $1 trillion successful spending which Musk said helium inactive remains optimistic volition hap successful the future, volition proceed its enactment without Musk, who said, "I look guardant to continuing to beryllium a person and advisor to the president."

That optimistic code shifted drastically connected June 3 erstwhile Musk took to X, the level helium owns, and blasted the fund reconciliation measure calling it "a disgusting abomination" and criticizing the Republicans who voted for it. 

"KILL THE BILL," Musk said the adjacent day.

A time aft that, connected Thursday, the feud deed a fever pitch.

While speaking with reporters successful the Oval Office, Trump said that helium was "very disappointed" by Musk’s vocal criticisms of the bill. The president claimed that Musk knew what was successful the measure and "had nary problem" with it until the EV incentives had to beryllium cut.

On X, Musk called that appraisal "false."

Trump turned to societal media to knock Musk, who helium appointed to find ways to chopped $2 trillion aft forming the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

"Elon was ‘wearing thin,’ I asked him to leave, I took distant his EV Mandate that forced everyone to bargain Electric Cars that cipher other wanted (that helium knew for months I was going to do!), and helium conscionable went CRAZY!" Trump said successful 1 post.

In different post, Trump said, "I don’t caput Elon turning against me, but helium should person done truthful months ago. This is 1 of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. It’s a Record Cut successful Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given."

"If this Bill doesn’t pass, determination volition beryllium a 68% taxation increase, and things acold worse than that. I didn’t make this mess, I’m conscionable present to FIX IT. This puts our Country connected a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

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Elon Musk speaks connected signifier arsenic helium joins erstwhile President and Republican statesmanlike campaigner Donald Trump during a run rally astatine tract of his archetypal assassination effort successful Butler, Pa. connected Oct. 5, 2024. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

At 1 point, Musk referenced precocious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein successful narration to Trump arsenic portion of the larger tirade successful a remark that respective Republicans told Fox News Digital went "too far."

Other posts from Musk included a assertion that Trump would not person won the predetermination without his assistance portion accusing Trump of "ingratitude." In different post, Musk suggested that Trump should beryllium impeached and replaced by Vice President Vance. 

It is unclear if a solution to the feud is coming successful the adjacent fewer days. Fox News Digital reported connected Friday greeting that Musk wants to talk to Trump and that White House aides could perchance broker a meeting.

Trump told Fox News connected Friday that helium isn't funny successful talking to Musk, adding that "Elon's wholly mislaid it."

Trump besides said to Fox News' Bret Baier that helium isn't disquieted astir Musk's proposition to signifier a caller governmental party, citing favorable polls and beardown enactment from Republicans connected Capitol Hill.