Inside the Fallout: How the Trump-Musk Partnership Unraveled

President Donald Trump was visibly upset.

Just minutes before stepping into the Oval Office last week to publicly bid farewell to Elon Musk in a televised event, an aide handed Trump a file.

The documents revealed that Trump’s nominee to lead NASA — a close associate of Musk — had made donations to prominent Democrats in recent years, some of which were new information to the president.

Although Trump set aside his frustration and publicly said goodbye with civility, once the cameras left the Oval Office, he confronted Musk. Trump began reading some of the donations aloud, shaking his head in disapproval.

“This isn’t right,” the president remarked.

Musk, sporting a black eye he attributed to a punch from his young son, tried to explain. He said Jared Isaacman, the billionaire entrepreneur slated to become NASA’s next administrator, was focused on results. Yes, he had donated to Democrats, but so had many others.

“Maybe it’s a good thing,” Musk told Trump, suggesting it showed a willingness to hire across political lines.

But Trump remained unmoved. “People don’t change,” he said. “These are the kinds of people who turn on you, and this won’t end well for us.”

This moment of tension foreshadowed the deeper rift that would erupt less than a week later, shattering what had been one of the most remarkable alliances in recent American politics.

This account of the breakdown between the president and Musk is based on interviews with 13 individuals familiar with the events, who spoke on condition of anonymity to share private conversations.

While the relationship had been weakening over recent months amid Musk’s disagreements with Trump officials, those close to both men say the dispute over Isaacman accelerated the split.

Before Isaacman’s removal left Musk feeling publicly humiliated, he had planned to exit the White House quietly.

Now, the two men—once seemingly inseparable—stand on opposite sides. Musk has hinted that Trump should face removal from office, while Trump has threatened to cancel government contracts with Musk’s companies.

After being informed of a report about Musk’s alleged drug use, Trump reportedly told aides that Musk’s erratic behavior was linked to substance use, according to sources familiar with private presidential discussions.

A Nomination Undone

Few federal positions mattered more to Musk than the NASA administrator role due to its critical importance to SpaceX, his rocket company. It was a significant personal win for Musk when Trump selected Isaacman—who had flown twice into space with SpaceX—to oversee the agency.

Isaacman’s donations to Democrats had not always posed a problem.

Though Trump privately told advisors he was surprised by the contributions, he and his team had been made aware of them during the presidential transition before Isaacman’s nomination, according to sources close to the matter.

However, last Friday, when Trump reviewed the file detailing the donations, his opinion clearly shifted.

Musk offered little defense for his friend, wary of doing so in front of others, including Sergio Gor, the White House personnel director who had clashed with Musk over staffing issues. Musk believed he might have a chance to speak privately with Trump after the meeting.

But that opportunity never arose.

Within hours of the Oval Office farewell, Trump decided to remove Isaacman from consideration. Musk was stunned by the swift turn of events.

Musk’s allies privately argue that Isaacman’s recent donations were not ideological but influenced by Senator Mark Kelly, a Democrat from Arizona and former astronaut. A spokesperson for Kelly declined to comment.

While grappling with the fallout from the failed nomination, Musk spent part of the weekend near Missoula, Montana, attending the “Symposium,” an event for tech executives, investors, and startup founders hosted by Founders Fund, the venture capital firm founded by Peter Thiel.

He mingled with guests at Paws Up, a luxury resort featuring glamping tents and upscale cabins on a historic 15,000-acre cattle ranch. There, Musk engaged in an extensive conversation with Thiel, who reportedly did not anticipate any imminent conflict with the president.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI and a known Musk adversary, was also present but the two did not interact.

Musk remained preoccupied with developments in Washington.

After a day in Montana, he turned his attention to opposing Trump’s top national priority: a Republican bill moving through Congress that would sharply cut taxes and allocate more funding to the military and immigration enforcement.

Privately and publicly, Musk expressed concern that the spending would eliminate supposed savings from his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and increase the federal deficit.

Some Republican lawmakers tried to ease Musk’s concerns. On Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson detailed the bill to the billionaire and assured him that Congress would try to codify the work done by DOGE. After the call, Johnson told aides he believed Musk was misinformed about the legislation and congressional process but found him reasonable, according to someone familiar with the conversation.

That Monday evening, Musk remained worried, sharing on X (formerly Twitter) a chart apparently showing the annual rise in the national debt.

“Scary,” Musk captioned the graphic.

Trump did not respond to Musk’s criticism of the bill and maintained a light public agenda.

The Breakdown

The alliance between Trump and Musk completely fractured on Thursday, just six days after the two men had publicly displayed camaraderie in the Oval Office.

Musk, who had largely directed his attacks at congressional Republicans, began targeting the president himself with increasing vehemence.

When asked about Musk’s comments during a meeting with Germany’s new Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump finally spoke openly. He described feeling “disappointed” in Musk, downplayed the billionaire’s financial support for his campaign, and claimed Musk had developed a “Trump alienation syndrome” after leaving the White House.

Musk responded immediately on X, unleashing a barrage of attacks. He alleged that government documents related to Jeffrey Epstein contained references to the president and expressed support for Trump’s removal from office. Musk also warned that Trump’s tariffs would trigger a recession by year-end.

Later, using his own social media platform, Trump threatened to cut billions in federal contracts to Musk’s companies.

On Thursday night, Musk indicated willingness to ease tensions, while Trump showed little interest in an immediate reconciliation. White House officials said Trump had no plans to call Musk.

“President Trump is the unequivocal leader of the Republican Party and enjoys broad public approval as president,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated. “Inflation is down, consumer confidence and wages are up, employment reports have exceeded expectations for three months running, the border is secure, and America is better than ever.”

A spokesperson for Musk did not respond to requests for comment.

Musk, his allies, and even some White House officials now blame Sergio Gor for undermining Isaacman just as Musk was preparing to leave. However, some close to Trump argue Gor is unfairly criticized for a decision ultimately made by the president.

Gor and Musk had clashed several times early in Trump’s second term, including twice during cabinet meetings where Musk questioned Gor’s pace in filling senior agency positions. Their teams frequently disagreed on staffing and the authority that should be granted to the Department of Government Efficiency’s aides.

Despite his title as White House Director of Presidential Personnel, Gor’s influence extends deeply into Trump’s orbit. He founded a super PAC supporting Trump’s 2024 campaign and co-founded a publishing house with Donald Trump Jr. that has released books by the president and his allies.

White House aides and Trump supporters quickly defended Gor on Friday.

“Sergio Gor is a vital team member who has helped President Trump build an unparalleled administration,” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said in a statement.

As for Musk, White House officials said Friday that Trump was considering selling the bright red Tesla he purchased in March as a symbolic gesture.