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The bromance between president Donald Trump and first buddy Elon Musk, once forged in a shared pursuit of power and influence, appears to be well and truly over. But theirs was a toxic relationship rooted in dominance and ruthlessness that was always destined for collapse, reports Alex Hannaford

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n the surface, it was a dream reciprocal alliance. Musk reportedly contributed some $250m to support Trump and other Republicans in the November elections, while Trump, impressed with the disruptive energy of the tech billionaire, got him to head up the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).

But just five months later, their relationship appears to be blowing up in a spectacularly explosive fashion.