Musk made a number of claims about Trump on X yesterday, suggesting his name "is in the Epstein files". The Tesla and SpaceX boss also suggested the US President might be using a "body double".
Reports this morning suggested the pair were set for a showdown phone call at some point today. However, Trump played the prospect of that down in his latest comments.
Follow our liveblog below for all the latest updates...
Liam Doyle
Musk breaks silence for first time today with one-word response
Elon Musk has broken a - brief - silence following his war of words with Trump on Thursday with a one-word response on his social media platform.
Posting on X, he replied t a user who wrote: "Elon criticised Congress, not Trump. Trump then attacked Elon personally."
Mr Musk said: "Exactly".
Liam Doyle
The Tesla that Trump plans to sell
President Trump bought a red Tesla Model S from Elon Musk earlier this year in a show of support for the centibillionaire.
Now the relationship between the two is now under significant strain, he now reportedly plans to sell off the vehicle.
Donald Trump bought a red Tesla from Elon Musk in better days (
Image:
AP)
Liam Doyle
'Do not doubt the President' Johnson warns
While he hopes for a reconciliation, the Speaker put his weight behind President Trump in the fight against his seemingly erstwhile "first Buddy".
He said: "Do not doubt and do not second guess and don’t ever challenge the president of the United States."
Liam Doyle
Republican speaker's hope for resolution
Mike Johnson, the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, has said he hopes for a resolution between Mr Trump and Mr Musk.
He said today that reconciliation "would be good for the party and the country if all that’s worked out".
Liam Doyle
White House confirms no Trump - Musk call to take place today
There is no call between Donald Trump and Elon Musk scheduled for today, it has been reported.
The New York Times cites two administration officials saying no call is scheduled between the two men. Although this could change on a whim, as many Trump plans are known to.
Zahra Khaliq
Trump to sell Tesla he bought from Elon
Sources claim Donald Trump is planning to get rid of the Tesla he bought from Elon amid flaring tensions between the two.
JUST IN: Trump will likely give away or sell the Tesla he bought from Musk.
Speaking to CNN’s Dana Bash this morning, Trump said "I'm not even thinking about Elon," adding "he's got a problem, the poor guy's got a problem".
The US President added he would not be speaking to Musk for a while.
I just got off the phone with President Trump. He told me he's "not even thinking about Elon. He's got a problem. The poor guy’s got a problem." pic.twitter.com/zNQvtqDX5H
'Musk wants a call' but Trump hasn't agreed to one yet, source claims
Donald Trump has not made a decision on whether he wants to speak to Elon Musk today, a source says.
Fox News correspondent Luca Tomlinson wrote on X: “No call scheduled or had. Musk wants a call. POTUS hasn’t made a decision.”
KEY EVENT
Trump pours cold water on prospect of Musk call
Trump appeared to dismiss talk of a call with Musk during a phone conversation with ABC News' Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl this morning.
Karl said: "As for reports that there is going to be a Trump/Musk call scheduled for today, Trump told me he is 'not particularly' interested in talking to Musk although he says Musk wants to talk to him."
KEY EVENT
Trump says Musk has 'lost his mind' in latest slam
ABC News' Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl said he had a phone call with Donald Trump this morning, during which the President hit out at Musk again.
Karl said on X: "In a phone conversation this morning, Trump told me Musk is 'the man who has lost his mind'. Trump did not, however, seem angry or even concerned about the feud."
Zahra Khaliq
Kremlin ‘will not get involved’ in Musk vs Trump row
The Kremlin has said it would not get involved in Donald Trump’s row with Elon Musk, but was confident that Mr Trump would be able to handle the situation.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the quarrel as an internal US matter.
Zahra Khaliq
Musk hints he may back down on Trump clash
Some of Elon Musk's tweets yesterday suggested he was willing to back down on his feud with Trump.
An X user responded to his threat to decommission the Dragon spacecraft, saying “cool off and take a step back for a couple days,” to which the billionaire replied: “Good advice. Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon.”
When Conservative hedge fund boss Bill Ackman called on the tech tycoon and President to “make peace,” Musk replied: “You’re not wrong.”
Musk has been increasingly critical of Trump's "big beautiful bill", a tax and spending bill ends a tax credit on electric vehicles. The Tesla boss called the bill a “disgusting abomination” and urged senators to "kill" it.
Trump responded by saying: "I'm very disappointed, because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody... He had no problem with it."
Anders Anglesey
Musk's estranged daughter weighs in on clash
Elon Musk's estranged daughter, Vivian Wilson, has weighed in on the explosive clash between her father and Donald Trump.
The 21-year-old shared a video on her Instagram stories showing herself laughing with the caption: "I love being right."
Zahra Khaliq
Right-wing activist says Musk should be 'deported'
Right-wing activist Steve Bannon, who has been openly critical of Musk’s role in the government, told the New York Times on Thursday that the billionaire should be “deported” and the government should “initiate a formal investigation of his immigration status.”
Steve Bannon slammed Elon Musk again (
Image:
Getty Images for Semafor)
His comments came as Musk and Trump entered into a dramatic feud. “The action that President Trump should be taking immediately, I think, is when [Musk] threatens to take one of the big programs out of Space X, President Trump tonight should sign an executive order calling for the Defense Production Act to be called in on SpaceX and seize SpaceX tonight, before midnight,” Bannon said on his “War Room” podcast.
Zahra Khaliq
Kanye West reacts
Rapper Kanye West, who has repeatedly endorsed Donald Trump in the past, appeared to react to his feud with Musk yesterday.
'Without me, Trump would have lost the election,' Musk says
On Thursday, Trump said he was "disappointed" with Musk's criticisms of his tax and spending bill.
Musk responded, saying: “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.”
“Such ingratitude,” he added.
Zahra Khaliq
What sparked the Trump-Musk feud?
The once-powerful alliance between President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk has dramatically imploded.
After months of apparent unity, their relationship unraveled this week over Trump’s sweeping tax bill. Tensions boiled over as Musk publicly called for Trump’s impeachment and launched a series of scathing social media attacks - even accusing the president, without evidence, of appearing in the mysterious “Epstein files.”
These documents, linked to disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, include secret travel logs and guest lists that have long fueled speculation and conspiracy theories.
Trump hit back hard, claiming he had already ousted Musk from his White House advisory role and hinting at slashing federal subsidies and contracts to the billionaire’s companies.
The two are due to speak over the phone today.
Bradley Jolly
Musk's bizarre body double theory
Elon Musk has shared a wild conspiracy theory that President Donald Trump has been replaced by a body double.
Mr Musk hinted that his former pal may have been replaced by someone else when the two billionaires exchanged heated insults online.
"Where is the man who wrote these words? Was he replaced by a body double?" Mr Musk wrote, retweeting a post that detailed several occasions where he praised Mr Trump and his policies.
Donald Trump's astonishing seven-word comeback when grilled about Elon Musk spat
It was an explosive war of words which infamously blew up like one of Elon Musk's SpaceX rockets.
Yet in only a way Donald Trump could do, the maverick politician has today brushed it under the carpet. He came under interrogation by reporters - but somewhat found a way to give the spat with Mr Musk another spectacular dimension.
When asked about the very public breakup with his one-time megabacker, the nonchalant President said: "It’s going very well, never done better." These bizarre seven words jar hugely with the farce which had played out on the world's stage just hours before - with both billionaires angrily posted about each other on social media.
President Donald Trump is pictured with Elon Musk in April (
Image:
Getty Images)
KEY EVENT
Mr Trump and Mr Musk could speak on phone today
Mr Trump and Mr Musk could speak on the phone today.
POLITICO reports White House aides scheduled a call with the billionaire Tesla owner to broker a peace, but adds that had to persuade the President to temper his public criticism of Mr Musk to avoid escalation.
KEY EVENT
Donald Trump urged to 'deport Elon Musk immediately' amid explosive war of words
Donald Trump was today urged to "deport Elon Musk immediately" amid the pair's blistering row.
The US President has also been encouraged to scrap all of the tech billionaire’s contracts and launch several investigations into the world’s richest man. Mr Musk, 53, had this week denounced Mr Trump’s signature domestic policy bill as an "abomination" and, since then, tensions between the pair have escalated.
Mr Musk and Mr Trump have gone from friends to foes, it seems
Bradley Jolly
Investors bought hundreds of billions of dollars of Tesla stock amid the row
Investors bought hundreds of billions of dollars of Tesla stock after Donald Trump was elected on a bet that politics were more important than profits.
In three hours Thursday, they learned yet again how dangerous that gamble could be.
Shares of Elon Musk’s electric vehicle maker plunged more than 14% in a stunning wipeout as investors dumped holdings amid a bitter war of words between the president and the world's richest man. By the end of the trading day, $150 billion of Tesla's value had been erased, more than what it would take to buy all the shares of Starbucks and hundreds of other big publicly traded U.S. companies.
The disagreement started over the president's budget bill, then quickly turned nasty. After Musk said that Trump wouldn't haven't gotten elected without his help, Trump implied that he may turn the federal government against his companies, including Tesla and SpaceX.
KEY EVENT
Every Elon Musk and Donald Trump insult so far as huge war of words explodes
The spectacular flameout Thursday peaked as Trump threatened to cut Musk’s government contracts and the tech billionaire claimed that US government hasn’t released all the records related to sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein because Trump is mentioned in them. There is no suggestion Donald Trump knew of any crimes or participated in any criminal behaviour. Musk even shared a post on social media calling for Trump’s impeachment and skewered the president’s signature tariffs, predicting a recession this year.
The messy blow-up between the president of the United States and the world ’s richest man played out on their respective social media platforms after Trump was asked during a White House meeting with Germany’s new leader about Musk’s criticism of his spending bill.
The messy blow-up between the president of the United States and the world’s richest man played out on their respective social media platforms after Trump was asked during a White House meeting with Germany’s new leader about Musk's criticism of his spending bill.
Trump had largely remained silent as Musk stewed over the last few days on his social media platform X, condemning the president's so-called “Big Beautiful Bill.” But Trump clapped back Thursday in the Oval Office, saying he was “very disappointed in Musk.”
Musk responded on social media in real time. Trump, who was supposed to be spending Thursday discussing an end to the Russia-Ukraine war with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, ratcheted up the stakes when he turned to his own social media network, Truth Social, and threatened to use the U.S. government to hurt Musk’s bottom line by going after contracts held by his internet company Starlink and rocket company SpaceX.
“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” Trump wrote on his social media network.
“Go ahead, make my day," Musk quickly replied on X.
Hours later, Musk announced SpaceX would begin decommissioning the spacecraft it used to carry astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station for NASA.
Musk also said, without offering evidence of how he might know the information, that Trump was “in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!”
US President Donald Trump speaks about tax reform during a meeting with families (
Image:
AFP via Getty Images)
KEY EVENT
Musk threatens to leave NASA astronauts stranded aboard the International Space Station
Elon Musk has sharply intensified his conflict with President Trump, effectively threatening to leave NASA astronauts stranded aboard the International Space Station.
The billionaire tech mogul announced on X Thursday that he is decommissioning his company’s Dragon spacecraft “immediately.”
This dramatic step came after Trump posted on Truth Social suggesting he might terminate all US government contracts with Musk’s commercial space company, SpaceX.
Bradley Jolly
Trump and Musk's bromance blows up - like one of Musk's supercharged SpaceX rockets
Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s alliance took off like one of SpaceX’s rockets. It was supercharged and soared high. And then it blew up.
The spectacular flameout on Thursday peaked as Trump threatened to cut Musk’s government contracts and Musk claimed that Trump's administration hasn't released all the records related to sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein because Trump is mentioned in them.
The tech entrepreneur even shared a post on social media calling for Trump's impeachment and skewered the president's signature tariffs, predicting a recession this year.
The messy blow-up between the president of the United States and the world’s richest man played out on their respective social media platforms after Trump was asked during a White House meeting with Germany’s new leader about Musk's criticism of his spending bill.
Bradley Jolly
Question Time halted for 'breaking news' on Donald Trump
Question Time has been halted for "breaking news" as US President Donald Trump issued a scathing threat to friend and former special advisor Elon Musk. As Fiona Bruce and a panel of politicians were live in Wales and taking questions from a studio audience, the broadcast was interrupted with a fresh report after Trump threatened to end Musk's government contracts.
Elizabeta Ranxburgaj
What started the fiery end of the bizarre bromance between Musk and Trump?
Elon Musk announced he would leave his special role heading the Department of Government Efficiency last week, which the billionaire was always set to depart from.
The Tesla chief had fully burrowed his way right into the heart of Donald Trump's inner circle after he pumped millions of dollars into the Republican's campaign. Musk's money bought his way into the US government, several Oval Office apperances and even a private election night watch party with Trump's family last year.
Despite this, the Washington bromance has fallen apart and decended into a petty row on social media. This started when Musk called Trump's tax bill a "disgusting abomination". He said: "Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it."
The bill would curtail subsidies that benefit Tesla, Musk's electric automaker.
Trump today, in the Oval Office, said he was "very disappointed" in Elon and claimed the businessman "misses the place". The President said: "I’ve helped Elon a lot."
The President then threatened to take billions of dollars away from Musk's companies saying he could "terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts". Trump added: "Elon was "wearing thin," I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!"
Since then, Musk hit back at Trump with an unverified "bomb" claim about the President and the Epstein files.
Trump responded to the tech boss and said: "I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago."
Trump and Musk in the Oval Office last week (
Image:
AP)
Christopher Bucktin
Elon's million-dollar door into the White House 'slammed in his face'
Last year, he poured hundreds of millions of dollars into Trump’s campaign and used his platform to tilt the digital scales back in the then former president’s favour. He was repaid, in his mind, with promises and access to the corridors of government. Those doors have now been slammed shut.
In a sense, the Epstein claim is Musk’s final scorched-earth strategy. And in Trump, he’s found the perfect foil: a man whose documented past with the late Wall Street financier is impossible to ignore. Let’s not forget, Trump wasn’t just an acquaintance of Prince Andrew’s pal Epstein - they were tight.
“Terrific guy,” Trump once said of him in New York Magazine in 2002. “He likes beautiful women… many of them on the younger side.”
The pair partied together in Palm Beach. Epstein was a frequent guest at Mar-a-Lago. Photos, videos, flight logs - the connections are not just alleged, they’re archived.
Trump now claims he “banned” Epstein from his clubs in the early 2000s and insists they weren’t close. But the record says otherwise - and Musk knows it.
There is no suggestion Trump knew of any crimes or participated in any criminal behaviour.