Inside the Explosive Feud Between Donald Trump and Elon Musk

The Trump-Musk tie-up is officially over—and late-night comedians are loving every second of the drama. After months of odd political partnership and high-level back-scratching, tech billionaire Elon Musk and President Donald Trump have gone from allies to adversaries, all over a controversial tax and spending bill Musk now calls a “disgusting abomination.”

As The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert opened, “Yesterday in Washington, the thinkable happened.” The fallout? “Apparently the ketamine has worn off. That’s gotta be a helluva hangover. ‘Oh my god, I spent $300 million to elect who? I have how many children? That can’t be their names!’”

Musk, who once stood as a mascot of sorts for Trump’s administration, is now publicly slamming Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” The bill includes sweeping tax cuts for the wealthy, slashes to healthcare and food assistance programs, and would dramatically increase the national deficit—yet many GOP members admit they didn’t even read it.

The Punchlines Write Themselves

Late-night hosts dove right in. Jimmy Kimmel dubbed it “Trump Versus Musk: Trouble in Scamelot,” and labeled Elon the former “DOGEbag in Chief.” He joked that Musk was “butthurt” after being forced out of his White House advisory role—booted after 130 days, the legal limit for such a temporary position.

“That’s how you know they hate him,” Seth Meyers quipped. “They actually followed a rule. ‘Our hands are tied, Elon. A rule’s a rule.’”

Michael Kosta from The Daily Show was equally amused. “Trump is literally defying court orders as we speak. But with this, he’s like, sorry Elon, rules are rules. Now I understand why he’s mad. It doesn’t matter how rich you are, getting fired sucks.”

Even Musk’s lavish perks didn’t save him. “Let’s review all that Elon Musk has gained from his $288 million investment into this presidency,” said Kosta. “$100 million in NASA contracts. He got to freeze 40 investigations against his companies, fired anybody who could regulate or tax him, and he got the president of the United States to plug his car company — and Trump almost pronounced its name correctly!”

Musk’s Public Meltdown (and Late-Night’s Reaction)

Seth Meyers broke down Musk’s unraveling on “A Closer Look,” comparing it to someone going through the five stages of grief in real time. “Denial” was Musk jumping around on stage; “anger” came with his loud rants into a microphone; “bargaining” followed—literally trying to sell Trump a Tesla. “Then came depression,” Meyers said, pointing to Musk’s somber interview about running his businesses with “great difficulty” while working in the White House.

“Now? We’re watching him slowly realize in real time that he might have f–ked up,” Meyers added. “This is like Tony the Tiger doing a tell-all interview with 60 Minutes and saying, ‘I don’t know where everybody got the idea that Frosted Flakes are so great. I mean, they’re fine.’”

Musk’s post-White House commentary has been anything but subtle. Not only did he attack the bill as a “disgusting abomination,” he agreed with a post on X (formerly Twitter) calling for Trump’s impeachment. “Trump would have lost the election without me,” Musk posted, stirring an even bigger storm.

Congress Criticized, Too—“Click I Agree” Politics

Beyond the Musk-Trump fallout, the bill itself has drawn heat. Democrats like Sen. Andy Kim and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez blasted the legislation for gutting Medicaid, food stamps, and healthcare for millions.

“We have to pivot back to the real damage that is being done,” Kim told CNN. “You know, we cannot get distracted by this sideshow of two billionaires duking it out when this legislation is going to do real damage.”
Gonzalez was even more blunt: “People are going to be hurt by this ‘big, ugly bill,’ as Elon Musk has called it. This bill hurts the poorest, hardworking people in America.”

Meanwhile, many House members admitted they didn’t know what the bill contained. Colbert was stunned. “Does anyone in Congress read anything before they vote on it? Are we being governed by Apple user agreements? ‘Click I agree. I just wanna download Baby Shark… Wait a second. Did I just defund Medicare? Whatever. Baby shark doo-doo!’”

He also mocked Marjorie Taylor Greene’s comment that she hadn’t read a key section blocking states from regulating AI for a decade. “Isn’t your job knowing what’s in there?” Colbert cracked. “That’s like a paramedic saying, ‘I wouldn’t have cracked open his chest if it was all gonna be gooey in there. I thought it was like a piñata filled with candy. Where’s the nougat?’”

Republicans Pick Sides, Trump Reportedly “Furious”

As the feud heated up, GOP Rep. Tim Burchett defended Trump. “I’m on President Trump’s side. He’s our president. He’s our commander-in-chief,” he told CNN. He added that Americans were more concerned about taxes than the Trump-Musk drama: “America is more worried about paying more taxes right now if we don’t pass the ‘big, beautiful bill.’”

Still, insiders say Trump is “furious” about Musk’s disloyalty. “That’s the safest bet anyone can make when describing Donald Trump’s reaction to criticism,” Meyers joked.

Even Jimmy Fallon weighed in: “Trump said he hasn’t felt this betrayed since McDonald’s started putting apple slices in Happy Meals.”

Fallon continued: “Trump and Elon’s relationship blew up faster than a SpaceX rocket.” Kimmel added, “Between Elon and Melania, Trump now has two foreigners who won’t sleep with him.”

When Narcissists Collide

At the end of the day, it was always a fragile alliance. “What Elon Musk cares about is Elon Musk,” said Kimmel. He pointed out Musk’s real frustrations likely stem from the bill slashing the electric vehicle tax credit, cutting his company Starlink out of air traffic control contracts, and pulling a friend’s NASA nomination.

Colbert perhaps summed it up best: “I’m starting to worry that two narcissistic megalomaniacs with a total inability to see value in other humans might have a hard time making friends.”

As Americans look on, bemused by the mess, Fallon joked: “Guys, guys, both of your social media companies stink, okay?”

In the end, one thing’s clear—this high-profile billionaire breakup may not save Americans from bad legislation, but at least it gave late-night TV some excellent material.