No one seemed too surprised that it happened. Though almost everyone was surprised how the once buddy-buddy relationship between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk blew up on Thursday.
At the start of the week, Musk was politely voicing his differences of opinion over policy. Four days later, he was alleging on his X platform that the president is “in the Epstein files” and endorsing calls for Trump’s impeachment. Now, three senior White House officials tell The Free Press Trump is even contemplating selling the bright-red Tesla that he purchased earlier this year. “He’s thinking about it, yes,” one of them said.
“Vibe shift” is how another senior White House official summed up the Trump-Musk blowup to The Free Press. A prominent venture capital executive said the rift is “so predictable it hurts.”
Perhaps. But the feud between Musk and the president for whom he spent over $250 million to help elect is about more than just a bromance turned sour. If Musk and Trump are getting a divorce, the tech right—a burgeoning and influential group of MAGA-friendly Silicon Valley figures—are the kids who now need to pick a side.