‘Without me, Trump would have lost the election,’ Elon Musk says

The bromance between President Donald Trump and the world’s richest person appears to be over.

Addressing reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, used the past tense to describe his relationship with Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

“Look, Elon and I had a great relationship,” Trump said. “I don’t know if we will anymore.”

The breaking point, according to Trump, appeared to be Musk’s opposition to the president’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which undermines Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency by increasing the debt by $2.4 trillion over 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

The legislation, which passed the House by a one-vote margin late last month, would also strip subsidies for electric vehicles, which would harm Tesla’s bottom line.

“Elon’s upset because we took the EV mandate … and, you know, they’re having a hard time, the electric vehicles. And they want us to pay billions of dollars in subsidy … I know that disturbed him,” the president said.

Meanwhile, Musk shot back that Trump “would have lost the election” without the nearly $300 million he donated to the president’s 2024 campaign.

“Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” Musk responded. “Such ingratitude.”

Musk also said Trump’s current views on the deficit and debt are unrecognizable from what he believed more than a decade ago.

“Where is the man who wrote these words? Was he replaced by a body double!?” Musk asked.

Trump also said Musk was disappointed when the president withdrew the nomination of Jared Isaacman, a top Musk ally, for NASA administrator.

Isaacman “happened to be a Democrat, like totally Democrat,” Trump said.

“And I say, ‘you know, look. We won. We get certain privileges.’ And one of the privileges – we’re not to appoint a Democrat.”

Trump said Musk’s attacks this week on the “One Big Beautiful Bill” came as a surprise to him following the “wonderful sendoff” the president gave Musk on his last day as a special government employee Friday.

“He said wonderful things about me,” Trump said.

But that praise turned to criticism over the “One Big Beautiful Bill” this week.

On Tuesday, Musk called the legislation “an abomination.”

He followed up the attack by urging Americans to pressure their representatives in Washington to tank the bill.

On Thursday, the president praised Musk for turning down a request to cover up the black eye the Tesla CEO sported during the Friday event.

“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? I’ll get you a little makeup’ He said, ‘No, I don’t think so,’ which is interesting and very nice. He wants to be who he is,” he said.