Trump calls Elon Musk ‘the man who lost his mind’

In an interview with ABC News (DIS) early Friday morning, President Donald Trump brushed off the suggestion of reconciling with Elon Musk. “You mean the man who has lost his mind?” the President asked, adding that he was “not particularly” interested in speaking to the Tesla (TSLA) and SpaceX CEO.

For the most part, the root of the rift between the once-proclaimed “first buddies” centers on Musk’s continued criticism of Trump’s hallmark domestic policy bill — dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Musk has called it a “disgusting abomination” and said the bill would grow the national debt by $3.8 trillion. The Tesla CEO also said he shouldn’t be blamed for all of Trump’s policies.

But on Thursday, Musk took things further. He backed calls for Trump’s impeachment and, in a widely circulated post on X, alleged that the president is “in the Epstein files.” Trump fired back, calling Musk “CRAZY” on Truth Social and suggesting the government reconsider its “BILLIONS AND BILLIONS” in contracts with Musk’s companies. The two continued to trade barbs — with Trump ally Steve Bannon suggesting that Musk, who is from South Africa, be deported.

The deterioration of the relationship between Trump and Musk is in stark contrast to their previous alliance, where Musk was a White House fixture.

The Tesla CEO was a significant supporter of the president’s 2024 reelection campaign (contributing over $200 million) and served as the head of the cost- and job-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The White House recently announced that Musk would be leaving DOGE, but the Tesla CEO claimed he’d still be around Washington as much as the president wanted.

ABC reported that Trump is more sad than angry at Musk. One adviser who was with the president on Thursday night said Trump seemed “bummed” about the breakup. And senior officials confirmed to ABC’s Rachel Scott that Trump is “considering either giving away or selling the red Tesla he purchased” to support Musk that has remained on White House grounds.

White House aides were reportedly trying to schedule a call Friday between the two men on Friday — which Trump brushed off. The president claimed that Musk wants to speak with him but he doesn’t want to speak with Musk. Trump instead talked to ABC News about inflation, foreign investment, and his coming trip to China.

Musk signaled somewhat of a willingness to talk to Trump in social media comments to billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, who wrote on X: “I support @realDonaldTrump and @elonmusk and they should make peace for the benefit of our great country. We are much stronger together than apart.” Musk then responded “true.”