President Donald Trump and former Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk, who once called each other "best friends" and relied on one another for policy decisions, engaged in a bitter public feud Thursday night after Musk left the administration and criticized the GOP's "big beautiful bill."
The feud, which quickly drew millions of reactions across social media platforms, splashed into other public officials, which are now in the spotlight due to their close relationship to the two men.
The digital battle began Thursday when Trump criticized Musk's recent attacks on the flagship GOP policy measure, saying it would increase the deficit. The disagreement, which turned into a full-scale blow-up sent ripples through Congress and Tesla's stock prices.
"I'm very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here, better than you people," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office during a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
"I'm very disappointed in Elon," Trump said. "I've helped Elon a lot."
Naturally, the fight spilled over into close public officials, some of whom had previously shown their allegiance to Musk and his work at DOGE. Here are some of them.
Vice President JD Vance
Vance, who had appeared with Musk at different events throughout the first months of the presidency, weighed in on the president's falling out with Musk on X.
He posted a photo of himself sitting next to podcaster Theo Von and wrote: "Slow news day, what are we even going to talk about?" Musk replied to Vance with a laughing emoji. He then followed up with a second post, writing "President Trump has done more than any person in my lifetime to earn the trust of the movement he leads. I'm proud to stand beside him."
Nevertheless, Musk appeared to endorse Vance in an X post calling for Trump to be impeached and the vice president to take his place, suggesting their relationship remains intact for now, Politico reports. The relationship would be beneficial to Vance, who is expected to run for Republican ticket in the 2028 presidential election, given Musk's financial fortune and his ability to rally Trump's base.
House Speaker Mike Johnson
House Speaker Mike Johnson, another staunch Musk supporter and one of the biggest advocates for the "big, beautiful bill," has also come into the spotlight. He called Musk's posts "surprising and disappointing" during an appearance on CNBC Friday morning.
"I don't argue with him about how to build rockets, and I wish he wouldn't argue with me about how to craft legislation and pass it."
The House Speaker also said he was with Trump yesterday when some of this was unfolding and that the president was "disappointed." He also rebuked Musk's claims that he is responsible for the Republican Party's victories in the November election.
"Elon was a big contributor in the last election, but this was a whole team effort," Johnson said. "I mean, President Trump is the most consequential political figure of his generation, of modern American history. He is the one responsible for that. But we all worked hard. We delivered the House majority."
Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel
Both Bondi and Patel, two staunch Trump loyalists, are also in the middle of the conversation, as Musk claimed the president's name is in the Epstein files, and that is the reason why the Department of Justice has not turned over any new documents since February.
In response, House Democrats urged the two lawmakers— the top officials of the DOJ— to investigate the case, demanding that they "immediately clarify whether the allegation is true." More specifically, Reps. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) requested in a letter to the two officials for a timeline of the DOJ's declassification and publication of the Epstein files.
They also requested a description of Trump's role in reviewing the files, a list of personnel involved in their release and an answer for why files previously released to Congress contained "significant redactions."
Noting that Trump and Epstein's relationship has been well-documented, Lynch and Garcia wrote to Bondi and Patel that Musk's allegation "implies that the President may be involved in determining which files should be released and whether files will be withheld from the public if he personally chooses."
"Any attempts to prevent the appropriate release of the Epstein files to shield the President from truth and accountability merits intense scrutiny by Congress and by the Department of Justice," they added.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen and His Wife, Katie Miller
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and his wife Katie Miller, who joined DOGE as an aide to Musk and left last week to work for the billionaire entrepreneur, also likely find themselves in an awkward position, given the couple's close relationship with both Trump and Musk.
The New York Times reported in January that Stephen Miller had been advising Musk on his political donations. But it's unclear if that relationship is still strong. And after Musk started attacking the Republican megabil, the deputy chief of staff became a staunch defender of the controversial bill. Likewise, on Thursday, Musk appeared to unfollow Miller on X, a sign that tensions remain high, not only with Trump, but also to those closest to the president.
© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
