Feud restarted: Musk vs Trump full story in 5 points as Trump tells Musk to go back to South Africa

Elon Musk and Donald Trump are no longer allies, and it is very evident. Their bitter public fallout over a controversial spending bill is turning personal, with subsidies, insults, and political threats.

In Short

• Trump says Musk should return to South Africa
• Musk threatens to launch a new political party
• EV subsidies and border security at heart of debate

US President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk are no longer allies, and that is now very clear. A political clash over a tax-and-spending bill in the US has increasingly turned personal, and it’s all playing out in public. Musk and Trump have been exchanging jabs over social media, with Trump asking Musk to “go back to South Africa” in his latest remark as Musk has been fuming over Trump’s "One Big, Beautiful Bill". Here’s a breakdown of the feud in five key points.

-Trump mocks Musk, tells DOGE to look at subsidies

On June 30, Donald Trump launched a sharp attack on Elon Musk via his Truth Social platform, suggesting Musk owes his business success to government handouts. Trump wrote that Musk "may get more subsidy than any human being in history," and that without those subsidies, Musk would have to "head back home to South Africa."

Trump even called for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Musk briefly headed, to “take a good, hard look at this”. The jab was both a policy swipe and a personal insult.

-Musk claps back: "CUT IT ALL. Now."

Musk, who has supported Trump in the past, and had even donated over $250 million to his 2024 campaign, did not hold back. In response to the post, he wrote: “I am literally saying CUT IT ALL. Now”.

Musk has continued to blast the bill, calling it “insane”, “destructive”, and a “disgusting abomination”, and a “debt slavery bill” that would worsen the national deficit by trillions. Musk also warned that the legislation would harm ordinary Americans and declared, “Time for a new political party”.

-The America Party threat

Elon Musk’s reaction to the bill was not just about EV incentives. He threatened to form a new political movement if the bill passes. “If this insane spending bill passes, the America Part will be formed the next day,” he posted.

Criticising both major parties, Musk accused them of creating a “one-party country – the PORKY PIG PARTY!!” and argued that Americans deserve a new political voice.

-What’s in Trump’s "Big, Beautiful Bill"

At the heart of the clash between the two billionaires is Donald Trump’s proposed economic package, which aims to boost defence, expand the US-Mexico border wall, and fund mass deportations. The bill also rolls black green-energy tax credits and EV subsidies, which are key to Tesla’s business model.

Musk argues that the bill would increase the national debt by as much as $5 trillion over ten years. Trump, however, maintains that it is the largest spending cut in the history of the US, and will not affect Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid.

-The fallout

Musk had previously led the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an advisory body meant to identify spending cuts. He resigned from the role in late May, just before launching his online tirade.

Since then, Trump and Musk have drifted apart rapidly. Musk’s public criticism appears to have struck a nerve, and the White House has responded by doubling down. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "This is one big, beautiful bill, and [Trump] is sticking to it."

With the Senate aiming to pass the bill before July 4, and Musk pushing for an anti-establishment party of his own, the political landscape might just see a dramatic shift.

- Ends