A heated public clash erupted today between former allies President Donald Trump and billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk, marking a dramatic turn in their once-close relationship. The fallout began at a White House event where Trump said he was “very disappointed” in Musk, following the Tesla and SpaceX CEO’s harsh criticism of a major Republican legislative proposal. In a stunning escalation, New York Post reports that Musk has now called for Trump to be impeached and replaced by Vice President JD Vance, signaling that their political and personal split has reached an irreversible breaking point.
Musk had announced his departure from the administration last month, saying his work was complete and that it was time to “move on.” At the time, lawmakers close to Musk downplayed the move as routine. However, tensions escalated when Musk called Trump’s sweeping domestic bill — dubbed the “Big, Beautiful Bill” — a “disgusting abomination.” Musk cited its projected impact on the federal deficit but denied that his opposition was tied to the bill’s elimination of electric vehicle tax credits, despite speculation to the contrary.
In response, Trump suggested Musk’s criticisms were disingenuous, claiming the billionaire “knew the bill inside and out” and only raised objections after leaving his post. Trump implied Musk’s disapproval stemmed from the loss of federal support for electric vehicles, although there has never been a national EV mandate. The president further hinted at retaliation, raising the possibility of canceling SpaceX and Tesla’s lucrative federal contracts, which have included work with NASA and the U.S. military.
Musk quickly responded on his platform, X, publicly denying Trump’s claims and asserting he was never aligned with the bill’s provisions. He went a step further, claiming Trump and Republican leaders would not have won the 2024 election without his support. Musk even polled followers about forming a new political party and accused the president of being named in unreleased Jeffrey Epstein files — a claim he did not substantiate. CNN reported that Musk did not provide proof of access to those sealed documents, and the White House has yet to comment.
As the feud intensified, Musk endorsed a post calling for Trump’s impeachment and suggested Vice President JD Vance should assume the presidency. “Yes,” Musk wrote in reply to a user who claimed Elon would defeat Trump in a political showdown. In another striking announcement, Musk said SpaceX would begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft — a move that could severely disrupt operations at the International Space Station, where Dragon plays a critical role in cargo and crew transport.
The Dragon spacecraft, according to SpaceX, is the only active vehicle capable of returning significant cargo from space and can carry up to seven passengers. Its importance to NASA missions was evident last year when it safely returned two astronauts who were stranded on the ISS due to issues with a Boeing transport module. If Musk follows through on halting Dragon operations, the consequences for U.S. space missions could be severe — potentially putting national space strategy in jeopardy amid a deepening political and personal feud.