World has seen alliance between US president and Tesla boss unravel in real time via social media and television
US politics live – latest updates
Breaking up is hard to do, and even harder if you are a billionaire who decides to break up with another billionaire on the two social media platforms you own, while the world watches in real time. Here are the key moments as the relationship between the US president, Donald Trump, and his former senior adviser Elon Musk unravelled in spectacular fashion, precipitated by a dispute over a colossal spending bill that could have major consequences for years to come.
CBS previewed an interview, scheduled for that weekend, in which Musk said Trump’s proposed tax and spending bill “undermines” the cost-cutting efforts of the “department of government efficiency” (Doge), which he led.
Musk announced on social media that he was leaving his role in the Trump administration, a departure that the White House confirmed was in process on the same evening. “As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” the billionaire wrote on X, his social media platform.
