Elon Musk says that Trump would not have won election without him, slamming him for his “ingratitude”
WASHINGTON: Elon Musk has made a shocking claim, saying that President Donald Trump’s name appears in the Epstein files.
The tech billionaire posted the statement during a public argument with the US president. His comment refers to documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier accused of sex crimes, who died in jail.
Musk’s claim has caused a stir in Washington and around the world, raising fresh questions and fuelling a bitter feud between two of the world’s most powerful men.
Elon Musk drops bombshell, says Trump named in Epstein files
Trump said in a televised Oval Office diatribe that he was “very disappointed” with criticisms from his top donor of a “big, beautiful” spending bill before Congress, before threatening to tear up the tycoon’s multi-billion-dollar US government contracts.
The South African-born Musk hit back live, saying that the Republican would not have won the 2024 election without him, and slammed Trump on his X social media platform for “ingratitude”.
As the spat grew increasingly bitter, Musk also posted that Trump “is in the Epstein files”, referring to US government documents on disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who committed suicide in jail while awaiting trial for sex crimes.
Shares in Musk’s Tesla electric vehicle manufacturer plummeted about 15 percent as the astonishing row escalated — wiping off more than $100 billion of the company’s value.
Questions had long swirled about how long the extraordinary alliance could last between the world’s richest person and the most powerful.
The world got the answer from Trump in a ten-minute rant after he was asked about Musk calling his tax and spending mega-bill a “disgusting abomination”.
“I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, as visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz looked on.
“Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore.”
His comments came less than a week after Trump held a grand Oval Office farewell for Musk as he wrapped up his time leading the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
A wistful-sounding Trump took reporters through the break-up with Musk on live television Thursday, in what at times sounded more like a therapy session than a meeting with a foreign leader.
The Republican suggested that Musk had “Trump derangement system”, missed working at the White House and had become “hostile” after his departure.
‘Such ingratitude’
Tesla and SpaceX boss Musk, who has criticised Trump’s bill on the grounds that it would raise the US deficit, hit back in a series of rapid-fire social media posts.
He branded Trump’s claims “false” before doubling down on the sensitive issue of Trump’s election win. Musk was the biggest donor to Trump’s 2024 campaign, contributing $300 million.
“Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51–49 in the Senate,” said Musk.
“Such ingratitude.”
Musk then posted a poll on whether he should form a new political party — a possible threat to Republican support, even if the foreign-born tycoon himself is barred from becoming president under the US Constitution.
As the row moved to social media, Trump doubled down by threatening Musk’s massive government contracts, including for launching rockets and for the use of the Starlink satellite service.
US media have put the value of the contracts at $18 billion.
