Update: After this story’s publication, Musk said he’d begin decommissioning SpaceX projects in response to Trump’s threats.
In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately pic.twitter.com/NG9sijjkgW
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025
(Headline USA) Talk about adding insult to injury.
President Donald Trump made fun of Elon Musk’s black eye Thursday while responding to the billionaire’s criticism of his “big beautiful bill.” Trump also threatened to cut Musk’s government contracts.
“You saw a man who was very happy when he stood behind the Oval desk. Even with a black eye. I said, do you want a little makeup? He said, ‘No, I don’t think so,’ which is interesting … Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore,” Trump told reporters.
“He’s worn the hat, ‘Trump was right about everything,’ and I am right about the great big beautiful bill.”
Trump on Elon Musk: "You saw a man who was very happy when he stood behind the Oval desk, even with a black eye. I said, 'do you want a little makeup?' He said, 'No, I don't think so,' which is interesting." pic.twitter.com/aeq2W6k9xE
— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) June 5, 2025
“Whatever,” Musk wrote on his social media platform while responding to Trump in real time.
Musk later offered up an especially stinging insult to a president sensitive about his standing among voters: “Without me, Trump would have lost the election,” Musk retorted. “Such ingratitude,” Musk said in a follow-up post.
Hours after Trump lamented his breakup with Musk and said he was “disappointed” in his former backer and adviser and Musk responded on social media, Trump escalated the feud by threatening to use the U.S. government to hurt Musk’s bottom line.
“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. “I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”
Musk announced his support for Trump shortly after the then-candidate was nearly assassinated on stage at a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally last July. News of Musk’s political action committee in support of Trump’s election came days later.
Musk soon became a close adviser and frequent companion, memorably leaping in the air behind Trump on stage at a rally in October. Once Trump was elected, the tech billionaire stood behind him as he took the oath of office, flew with him on Air Force One for weekend stays at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, slept in the White House’s Lincoln Bedroom at the president’s invitation and joined his Cabinet meetings wearing a MAGA hat (sometimes more than one).
“I’ll be honest, I think he missed the place,” Trump said Thursday. “He got out there, and all of a sudden he wasn’t in this beautiful Oval Office.”
Musk bid farewell to Trump last week in a subdued news conference in the Oval Office, where he sported a black eye that he said came from his young son but that seemed to be a metaphor for his messy time in government service.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
