# If/when Trump and Musk fall out, what will it be over? The results? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump, elon-musk\ **Created:** [February 15, 2025, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-trump-and-musk-fall-out-what-will-it-be-over-the-results/1014346 "2025-02-15T09:08:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2025, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-trump-and-musk-fall-out-what-will-it-be-over-the-results/1014346/201 "2025-05-30T22:05:37Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > There’s an oxygen deficit, but one hit of K, and I’m sure Leon will come up with one of his brilliant ideas [A portion of the passing overhead meteoroid explodes, showering their area with a thick black ash. Draper is buried under the heavy material, but Friday saves Draper and shares his “air pills”, which provide oxygen.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robinson_Crusoe_on_Mars) ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2025, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-trump-and-musk-fall-out-what-will-it-be-over-the-results/1014346/202 "2025-05-30T22:06:23Z")
LMFAO. Go Leon, go! (Oh, and I also laughed when I first saw the cover for that book, sometime back in the 70s or 80s…) ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2025, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-trump-and-musk-fall-out-what-will-it-be-over-the-results/1014346/203 "2025-06-01T15:38:11Z")
And the latest news: > **[Trump drops Nasa nominee Jared Isaacman, scrapping Elon Musk’s pick](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/01/trump-drops-nasa-nominee-jared-isaacman-scrapping-elon-musks-pick)** > > ‘Prior associations’ appear to cost billionaire the chance to be Nasa administrator, as US president says new nominee ‘will be mission aligned’ Musk’s support for Trump is really hurting Musk personally–with the big decline of Tesla sales and the massive cuts at NASA. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2025, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-trump-and-musk-fall-out-what-will-it-be-over-the-results/1014346/204 "2025-06-02T03:04:16Z")
This story said that Musk “got into a physical altercation with”, and shoved, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. I realize that this source, one Steve Bannon, could not be described as reliable, but nothing would surprise me, really. I also saw on another site, and REALLY find this believable, that the “ketamine induced bladder problems” that Musk had were, in plain English, him being so wacked out of his mind, he wet his pants. > **[Steve Bannon says Elon Musk and Scott Bessent had "physical confrontation"](https://www.newsweek.com/elon-musk-scott-bessent-physical-confrontation-2079285)** > > The Tesla DEO allegedly "shoved" Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during a heated exchange, according to Steve Bannon. ---
**Author:** ![Win\_Place\_Show](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/win_place_show/32/13469_2.png) [@Win\_Place\_Show](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Win_Place_Show)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-trump-and-musk-fall-out-what-will-it-be-over-the-results/1014346/205 "2025-06-03T18:29:17Z")
Well, at least these two lovebirds lasted longer than Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. > **[Musk torches Trump budget bill: 'Disgusting abomination'](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/03/musk-trump-budget-bill.html)** > > Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO who spent over $250 million backing Trump's presidential bid, led the president's DOGE group until last week. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-trump-and-musk-fall-out-what-will-it-be-over-the-results/1014346/206 "2025-06-03T18:43:07Z")
Trump’s gonna want his fake gold key back, I’m thinking. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-trump-and-musk-fall-out-what-will-it-be-over-the-results/1014346/207 "2025-06-03T18:46:39Z")
Musk has to have done some illegal shit that he’s gonna be prosecuted for. My theory was just that Trump would let him drown when that day came. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-trump-and-musk-fall-out-what-will-it-be-over-the-results/1014346/208 "2025-06-03T18:49:31Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Musk has to have done some illegal shit that he’s gonna be prosecuted for. If only. I don’t think we do that sort of thing anymore. Not to rich people. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-trump-and-musk-fall-out-what-will-it-be-over-the-results/1014346/209 "2025-06-03T19:15:42Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > If only. I don’t think we do that sort of thing anymore. Not to rich people We may have to add the caveat: “Not to rich people _who haven’t annoyed Trump_.” There was a time we didn’t try to sue news organizations and law firms, but then some of them annoyed Trump, and he’s used the courts to make them bend the knee. And in doing that, he’s called out specific rich people by name. Musk may get the same treatment. Musk made specific promises to Trump, and he’s utterly failed to deliver. And now he’s talking shit about Trump’s Big Bombshell Bill? It doesn’t matter how much money Musk donated last year, as of right now, he needs to be brought to heel, if for no other reason than to keep the other billionaires in line. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-trump-and-musk-fall-out-what-will-it-be-over-the-results/1014346/210 "2025-06-03T19:23:48Z")
It might be worth reminding Trump that confiscating wealth is a thing that authoritarian governments do, especially to foreigners. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-trump-and-musk-fall-out-what-will-it-be-over-the-results/1014346/211 "2025-06-03T19:26:58Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > It might be worth reminding Trump that confiscating wealth is a thing I keep hoping that someone will tell him about “Bills of Attainder”. I’m sure he’d love them, they’re even mentioned in the Constitution! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-trump-and-musk-fall-out-what-will-it-be-over-the-results/1014346/212 "2025-06-05T18:05:59Z")
And on it goes… [https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/05/elon-musk-donald-trump-fight-00389480](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/05/elon-musk-donald-trump-fight-00389480) ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-trump-and-musk-fall-out-what-will-it-be-over-the-results/1014346/213 "2025-06-05T18:22:13Z")
A couple of notes about what has been going on with this… - I said I thought that Trump and Musk would not have a falling out because of a personal clash, and that seems to be the case. Indeed, it’s not clear at all that Musk was “kicked out” at all. My personal guess is that Musk screwed the pooch with his Wisconsin Supreme Court election failure, his work with DOGE was messy and a lot of bad PR for the admin, and Musk was battling cabinet members and acting in a consistently weird and embarrassing way, so Trump et al. passively let Musk’s position lapse per the law and said thank you, politely, so as to ruffle a minimum number of feathers. - Musk is lashing out now because he doesn’t like the BBB, for both genuine (it increases the deficit, etc.) and self-interested (it eliminates EV tax credits) reasons. Like Trump himself, Musk is a megalomaniac troll without discipline, so he is saying via his fool mouth whatever is coming into his fool head without considering his long-term strategy or position. - But Trump _is_ showing discipline at this moment, not engaging in the trash-talking he instantly aims at whoever even slightly crosses or annoys him. Why not? This is the rare case in which Trump perceives, correctly, that someone has the power to hurt him, and even though Musk is being a pain, Trump doesn’t want him to be a _worse_ pain. He also probably perceives, correctly, that Musk is drug-addled and impulsive and could say anything if he were to be triggered. Plus, Musk could still be useful to him in the future. Hence Trump’s silence. What’s the end game? Unpredictable. Musk has become addicted to attention and power (what power he _think_ he’s had, even though he really hasn’t had all that much). Musk has lost most of his shit and is working on the rest. He could become a much, much bigger pain, but at the same time he is self-detonating like one of his shitty rockets. If he does much worse to Trump, Trump will attack back, but at the same time Trump is rapidly declining. It’s a total fucking mess, but, thankfully, it’s the mess of the bad guys, and I hope it all gets much, much worse! ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-trump-and-musk-fall-out-what-will-it-be-over-the-results/1014346/214 "2025-06-05T18:48:02Z")
We are seeing something that I’ve never thought possible, Donald J. Trump is locked in a discussion with someone more _childish_ than him. ---
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-trump-and-musk-fall-out-what-will-it-be-over-the-results/1014346/215 "2025-06-05T18:54:18Z")
After the election and before the inauguration, I said more than once, out loud to several people, that what was going to save us from this authoritarian fascist lurch is the incredible incompetence of all of these people along with the constant infighting that is sure to happen at all levels. When you have a political movement totally created around the idea of being contrary to everything, well they still have to be contrary even when they are in power. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-trump-and-musk-fall-out-what-will-it-be-over-the-results/1014346/216 "2025-06-05T18:55:37Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > But Trump _is_ showing discipline at this moment, not engaging in the trash-talking he instantly aims at whoever even slightly crosses or annoys him. What are you talking about? > **[George Pearkes (@peark.es)](https://bsky.app/profile/peark.es/post/3lquxqbisu226)** > > oh hell yeah this is getting real good > **[George Pearkes (@peark.es)](https://bsky.app/profile/peark.es/post/3lquxtygusc26)** > > hahahahaha yesssssss yesssssssss _Of course_ Trump is slagging on him. That’s what he always does. Predictably. Reliably. Edit to add: and Tesla stock is down over 10% _today._ ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-trump-and-musk-fall-out-what-will-it-be-over-the-results/1014346/217 "2025-06-05T18:56:47Z")
I retract my previous post ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-trump-and-musk-fall-out-what-will-it-be-over-the-results/1014346/218 "2025-06-05T18:57:50Z")
I assume that the statement by Musk that Trump would’ve lost the election without him was a key trigger. The thought of how much each of them thinks of himself as so much better than the other is also amusing. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-trump-and-musk-fall-out-what-will-it-be-over-the-results/1014346/219 "2025-06-05T19:11:40Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > What are you talking about? I mighta talked too soon! ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-trump-and-musk-fall-out-what-will-it-be-over-the-results/1014346/220 "2025-06-05T19:14:53Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Edit to add: and Tesla stock is down over 10% _today._ Now down over 15%. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-trump-and-musk-fall-out-what-will-it-be-over-the-results/1014346.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-when-trump-and-musk-fall-out-what-will-it-be-over-the-results/1014346.md?page=12)