Pass the popcorn! Trump-Musk meltdown made for must-watch social media
Popcorn shortages swept across the nation on Thursday as Elon Musk and President Donald Trump engaged in a public meltdown complete with threats, conspiracy theories and calls for impeachment. The long-awaited spectacle delivered a blockbuster just in time for summer.
After spending more than a quarter billion dollars helping Trump and Republicans win elections across the country in 2024, Musk received unprecedented access to the Oval Office and constructive (if maybe unofficial?) control of the Department of Government Efficiency.
In the administration’s first few months Musk gleefully hacked away at government agencies without much concern for long-term consequences or ramifications. Rather than the precision of scalpel, he literally used a chainsaw.
As DOGE opponents have noted time and again, his approach harmed not just federal employees but ordinary Americans. From canceled cancer research to weather service needed to predict hurricanes to air traffic controllers keeping the skies safe, the Musk approach simply broke systems people rely on. The damage became so apparent that the Trump administration is now attempting to rehire large swaths of terminated employees to continue their critical work.
Apparently they were not waste or fraud, but mission critical to a functioning government.
Despite the backlash, the Trump-Musk bromance carried on hot and heavy from last summer through the first few months of the year. In February, a few days before Valentine’s Day, Musk declared “I love [Trump] as much as a straight man can love another man.”
Today, the New York Post — famous for its sensational front pages — has both men on opposite sides of a broken lace-fringed heart to commemorate the “big, beautiful breakup.”
The break came in a spectacular fashion few political observers saw coming. Sure, Trump and Musk have two of the biggest egos ever inflated on this planet. Both own glitchy, hate-fueled social media platforms. And both have left a string of lovers, business partners and political advisers scorned in the public eye.
But this was so much more glorious.
Apparently, it kicked off just over a week ago when Trump allowed Musk to make an Oval Office farewell from the government butchery he precipitated in order to attend to the hemorrhaging stock price of Tesla. Just before, Trump became aware that Musk’s hand-picked nominee for NASA administrator had — shock! — given money to Democrats.
Trump could not have such blasphemy tarnish his record, despite the long list of Democrats he personally contributed to over decades in business.
Despite Musk’s most ardent pleading and every whisper in Trump’s orange ear, he could not save his friend or the billions of dollars in contracting he hoped to win for Space X. No caress from Elon could soften the heart of his darling Donald.
Simmering for a week in his rejection, Musk’s inner Othello eventually boiled over; his tongue needed to tell the anger of his heart lest his heart concealing it should break. And boy did he ever tell the world about his anger.
Earlier in the week, he took aim at Trump’s signature legislation: the safety-net-stripping, deficit-busting, billionaire tax-break giveaway. After teasing that “a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don’t know if it can be both,” Musk turned to more direct language. Attempting to apply political pressure on members of Congress, he called the bill a “disgusting abomination.”
For the White House staff’s sake, I hope Trump used the disposable single-serve packets, rather than large glass containers, to slather ketchup on his McDonald’s not-so-happy meal when he saw that.
The timeline would not get better.
Trump expressed his disappointment in Musk and chalked it up to his decision to cut solar incentives that helped build Tesla.
Musk responded that Trump stuffed the bill with a “MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK.” True to character, Trump posted that “Elon was ‘wearing thin’ … just went CRAZY!” and threatened that the “easiest way to save money in our Budget … is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.”
Musk pulling out his best Trump impression tweeted, “Such an obvious lie. So sad.”
Apparently less satisfied than sad, Musk followed it up by stating Trump appeared throughout the Epstein files, inferring that the president was a pedophile. He ended the missive with not so sincere “Have a nice day, DJT!”
That ruined any chance of White House sycophants de-escalating the row. It also led to right-wing personalities calling for an investigation into Musk’s immigration history, concerns about Trump’s failure to respond directly about Epstein and even a crazy brosphere debate about the two men’s testicles.
In the end, the Trump-Musk alliance lasted 12 Scaramuccis and blew up more spectacularly than a Space X test flight. If we are lucky, we will get a sequel and I’ll stock up on butter, salt and lots of Orville Redenbachers.
Mario Nicolais is an attorney and columnist who writes on law enforcement, the legal system, health care and public policy. Follow him on Bluesky: @MarioNicolais.bsky.social.
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