Elon Musk had barely announced his support for Trump in 2024 before Trump invited him into his inner circle. I didn’t see it coming nor did the world.
Elon and Trump met years before in 2017 when Musk served as a business advisor in some capacity, but that ended because they disagreed over climate change.
Fast forward to 2024 when Trump was running for president, and suddenly, Elon was attending campaign events, dining with Trump at Mar-a-Lago and accompanying Trump to wrestling matches. The two seemed inseparable. And once Trump won the election, the closeness remained as Musk was appointed to help cut government spending.
Trump even appeared as a grandpa of sorts to Little X, Elon’s four year old son. Little X was often with Elon at the White House. There was the one time we all saw Grandpa Trump adoringly walk with Little X to Marine One.
Trump’s Infatuation With Musk’s Genius
Elon’s brilliant when it comes to business and technology, and Trump admires smart people, especially if they’re bold, shake things up, and make things happen. But Trump seemed infatuated with Elon and put him on a pedestal without really knowing him. He was enamored with Elon’s SpaceX rockets and often called him a genius, saying things like, “We have to protect our geniuses.”
Donald Trump was so enamored with Elon’s rockets that it made me want to check them out. I’d heard of Space X but had no idea what it was about other than something to do with space but Trump made me want to find out.
I found a video on YouTube. Watching the rocket land, it was just as Trump described it. The rocket came down from space at over 1,000 mph and it looked like there was no way this thing could land upright. As it slowed down, it didn’t just land upright, it landed right into a slot allocated for it. It was unbelievable.
No wonder Trump was infatuated. Who’d ever seen anything like this?! The mere idea that a rocket could land in this way was unbelievable. Elon not only had the vision, but he also made it happen.
Musk Assigned to Cut Government Waste
When Trump brought Elon on board to work in DOGE, the team meant to cut government waste and root out corruption, it actually seemed like a smart move. After all, Elon was known for firing over 6,000 Twitter (now X) employees and still keeping the platform running. He has a track record for trimming the fat. Trump wanted to bring that same mentality to Washington.
Things seemed to be going well. Elon and his DOGE team were uncovering waste and being transparent about the corruption they found.
Trump & Musk’s Relationship Is Over
Musk said from the beginning he wouldn’t be with DOGE a long time. The man had other things to do…Space X, Tesla, his social media platform, X, and making babies (he’s known to have 14 children with multiple women).
The spiral between Trump and Musk likely began long before we saw it publicly.
Here’s where things took a turn: Elon’s time at DOGE was ending. And just a day or two after Elon attended a White House event where Trump praised and thanked his efforts, he publicly blasted Trump’s “big beautiful bill” on social media. He thought it was wasteful. Later, in an interview with CBS News, Musk said:
“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing.”
I get it. It’s like if me and my husband had an agreement to save money, but one of us is going out shopping every weekend.
But that wasn’t all. Elon made a wild claim that the Epstein files hadn’t been released because Trump was in them. He later walked that back, saying he regretted “some things” he said. But the damage was done. Elon was clearly going off the rails. He was so upset that he floated the idea of starting a third political party and publicly distanced himself from the Trump administration.
Trump didn’t stay quiet either. He fired back with jabs of his own, including a threat to cut Elon’s billions in government subsidies for SpaceX and Tesla.
Trump’s infatuation with Musk had probably been fading for weeks. That’s the thing about infatuation…it doesn’t last long once you’re around someone enough. You start noticing their flaws. You realize they’re just human. The rose-colored glasses you once wore come off, and you see things a little more clearly.
Elon Musk Creates A New Political Party
But it wasn’t until Elon actually announced his new political party, the American Party, that Trump took a different approach. He posted on Truth Social (his platform) with a more rational tone, explaining why Elon was so upset. Sure, he still called Musk “off the rails” and “a train wreck,” but overall, the tone was more thoughtful than usual. He laid out the details.
According to Trump, Elon’s angry about the electric vehicle mandate being cut. But Trump always said he’d end the electric vehicle mandate. He said it throughout his campaign–people should be able to choose what kind of car they want to drive whether it be gas, hybrid, or electric. And sure enough, in his “big beautiful bill,” the mandate was officially eliminated. Elon knew this from the beginning. Maybe he thought he could change Trump’s mind. Or maybe he expected to have more influence than he did.
Then there’s the NASA issue. Trump said Elon wanted him to appoint his friend Jared Isaacman to run NASA. But Trump passed on him, saying Isaacman is a Democrat who’s never supported Republican causes. He’s also a close friend of Elon’s, and because of Elon’s heavy involvement in space, Trump thought it would be a conflict of interest. Makes sense to me. But apparently, Elon didn’t take that well either.
Maybe it all felt personal to Elon. Maybe the rejection of Isaacman was the final straw. And maybe because Elon is challenged when it comes to relationships and social interaction, he lashed out.
Does Elon’s Autism Affect His Behavior?
It’s Elon who went off the rails, making his and Trump’s feud public. There’s nothing wrong with criticizing the big beautiful bill, but there’s a way to do it. (I know, I know, Trump’s not the most tactful person either.) And then the Epstein accusation was really off the charts. It was Kanye level off the charts.
One thing people don’t consider much is Elon’s autism. He’s publicly said he was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome (no longer called Asperger’s but now included as autism spectrum disorder) when he was young. And while everyone on the spectrum is different, emotional regulation and social communication can be a challenge. That could explain why he reacted the way he did…impulsively and irrationally.
As a mom of a son on the spectrum, I’ve noticed that people are more supportive and understanding of autistic people if they “look autistic,” but when you’re rich and running several businesses like Elon Musk, they think you’re simply a spoiled brat.
Unless you have an autistic child or you’re autistic it’s hard to understand autism and the social challenges that come with it. When autistic people are highly functioning, and can work and run a business like Elon Musk it’s hard for people to see autism as a disability. But autism is a disability.
The autistic brain is different. Musk says his mind is like a storm. I get it because my autistic son’s brain is always on. The synapses (the way the neurons connect) in the autistic brain are different than the neurotypical brain. And the area of the brain that controls social interaction and communication is different. Hence, the way an autistic person responds to various situations will often differ to that of a neurotypical person.
But enough of that because I’m not a neurologist nor a scientist, but observing my son and doing basic research on autism, that’s what comes to mind.
Trump & Musk – They Got Too Close Too Soon
Ultimately, Trump got too close to Elon too fast. He let him into his inner circle without taking time to observe his character. And Elon doesn’t exactly have a history of solid relationships, business or personal. Trump’s admiration for Musk’s genius clouded his judgment. If he’d taken more time to evaluate Elon with wisdom rather than awe, things might’ve turned out differently.
In a way, this whole political fallout between Trump and Musk feels like the end of a first crush–intense and exciting, but ultimately unsustainable.
One thing I wish had come out of their relationship is a more public understanding of autism. If there had been more open conversation about autism, maybe Trump would’ve better understood some of Elon’s behavior. And maybe Elon could’ve used the spotlight to explain how autism affects him personally. That kind of honesty could’ve helped a lot of people. But instead, we were left with headlines, drama, and a relationship that burned out as fast as it sparked…and a new political party that I don’t think we need.