The spectacular blowup on Thursday between President Trump and Elon Musk has ripped apart a shaky alliance between two of the world’s most powerful men. Their feud could have far-reaching consequences if it drags on or even escalates.
Here are eight ways they could inflict pain on each other.
Musk Against Trump
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Wield his billions against Mr. Trump, his allies and his agenda. After spending more than $250 million to help elect the president, Mr. Musk could just as easily fund campaigns against Republicans. He has called Mr. Trump’s domestic policy bill a “disgusting abomination,” and on Thursday attacked Republican congressional leaders on X, his social media company. (Mr. Musk could also withhold the final $100 million of his pledge to support Mr. Trump.)
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Use social media as an irritant. On Thursday afternoon, Mr. Musk posted a poll on X, asking whether it was time “to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle.” More than 80 percent of the nearly two million respondents so far have voted “yes.” And responding to a post suggesting that “Trump should be impeached,” Mr. Musk said: “Yes.” (It was not entirely clear whether he was agreeing with impeachment or with another part of the post.)
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Drag Mr. Trump into controversy. After enjoying a close relationship with the president for months, Mr. Musk could now cause trouble for Mr. Trump by claiming to have inside information. On Thursday, without offering evidence, he claimed Mr. Trump’s administration had slow-walked the release of files on Jeffrey Epstein because Mr. Trump’s name appeared in them. “Mark this post for the future,” he wrote. “The truth will come out.” House Democrats quickly jumped on the post.
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Use his companies to inconvenience the administration. Mr. Musk wrote that he would “immediately” decommission SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which transports NASA astronauts and supplies to and from the International Space Station. The threat prompted Stephen K. Bannon, a Trump ally and one of Mr. Musk’s foremost critics, to suggest that Mr. Trump “seize SpaceX tonight before midnight” via executive order.
Trump Against Musk
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Cut contracts with Mr. Musk’s companies. On his own social media platform, Truth Social, Mr. Trump suggested that ending the government contracts with Mr. Musk’s various companies, including SpaceX and Tesla, would be “the easiest way to save money in our Budget.” Last year, Mr. Musk’s companies were promised $3 billion in nearly 100 contracts with 17 government agencies.
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Investigate Mr. Musk’s immigration status and drug use. Mr. Bannon called on Thursday for a “formal investigation of his immigration status, because I am of the strong belief that he is an illegal alien, and he should be deported from the country immediately.” Mr. Musk is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in South Africa. Mr. Bannon also called for an investigation into Mr. Musk’s drug use and his efforts to be briefed on classified information about military plans involving China.
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Revoke Mr. Musk’s security clearance. Mr. Bannon suggested that Mr. Musk’s top-secret clearance should be suspended during investigations into the tech billionaire. But Mr. Trump could also fully revoke Mr. Musk’s clearance, which Mr. Musk has as part of the government contracts involving SpaceX’s work with NASA. That would make it very difficult for Mr. Musk to continue to work with the government.
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Wield the power of the presidency against him. Mr. Trump has a tremendous array of powers at his disposal, with the ability to sign executive orders punishing political adversaries and to direct agencies like the Justice Department to initiate investigations. He could end some of Mr. Musk’s pet projects, such as the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, as well as his embrace of white South Africans, a priority of Mr. Musk’s.
Tyler Pager contributed reporting.
Kellen Browning is a Times political reporter based in San Francisco.
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