The Waning Alliance Between Elon Musk and President Trump

Just six days ago, Elon Musk and President Donald Trump exchanged compliments during a meeting in the Oval Office.

However, the dynamic between the two changed abruptly.

On Thursday, their relationship unraveled rapidly and unexpectedly during a press conference and through social media, following Musk’s departure from his special government advisory role the previous Friday. At that time, Musk had expressed hope to remain a "friend and adviser to the president."

The public friendship between Trump and Musk began earlier when the world's richest man endorsed Trump’s presidential campaign in July, actively supporting his bid.

Since the election, Musk appeared nearly inseparable from the president, assisting in shaping federal government policies, influencing political decisions, and meeting with global leaders as Trump’s "closest confidant."

More recently, signs of discord have emerged. In a prior public break with the administration, Musk criticized the president's chief trade adviser, Peter Navarro, calling him an "imbecile" and "dumber than a sack of bricks" in a series of posts on his social media platform earlier this year.