The unexpected alliance between Donald Trump and Elon Musk came to a dramatic end Thursday, as the U.S. president and his billionaire former aide turned on each other in a fiery and very public fallout. In a televised address from the Oval Office, Trump said he was “very disappointed” by Musk’s harsh criticism of a major spending bill, one the president described as “big and beautiful.” He even went as far as threatening to cancel Musk’s multi-billion-dollar contracts with the U.S. government. Musk quickly fired back, saying Trump wouldn’t have won the 2024 election without his support. He took to his X platform to accuse the president of “ingratitude.” As tensions soared, Musk posted that Trump “is in the Epstein files” — a reference to unsealed U.S. government documents involving disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who died in jail while awaiting trial for sex crimes. Tesla stock took a major hit amid the drama, dropping nearly 15% and wiping out over \$100 billion in market value. Speculation had long lingered over how sustainable the partnership was between the world’s richest man and the most powerful. That question was put to rest when Trump addressed Musk’s critique of the bill — which Musk had labeled a “disgusting abomination.” “I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot,” Trump said as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz looked on during the tense Oval Office press briefing. “Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore.” His remarks came just days after Trump gave Musk a high-profile farewell from his leadership role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a cost-cutting agency Musk headed. In what sounded more like a personal lament than a policy discussion, Trump reflected on the breakup with visible frustration. He even suggested Musk might be suffering from “Trump derangement system,” was bitter about leaving the White House, and had grown “hostile” since his exit. Such ingratitude.” Musk then posted a poll on whether he should form a new political party — a possible threat to Republican support, even if the foreign-born tycoon himself is barred from becoming president under the US Constitution. As the row moved to social media, Trump doubled down by threatening Musk’s massive government contracts, including for launching rockets and for the use of the Starlink satellite service. US media have put the value of the contracts at $18 billion. “Elon was ‘wearing thin,’ I asked him to leave,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform, adding that Musk had gone “crazy” about a plan to end electric vehicle subsidies in the spending bill. He then dropped the bombshell: “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.” Trump’s decision to tap Musk to head DOGE was one of the most controversial of his second presidency. Musk’s young “tech bros” cut tens of thousands of government jobs and slashed US foreign aid. Trump and Musk’s whirlwind relationship initially blossomed, with the tech tycoon appearing in the Oval Office with his young son on his shoulders, flying with Trump aboard Air Force One and staying at the White House and Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. But the 53-year-old lasted just four months on the job, becoming increasingly disillusioned with Washington’s slow pace, while clashing with some of Trump’s cabinet members. The only winner from the public Trump-Musk spat? Germany’s Merz. Merz, who sat mutely while Trump bashed Musk, had prepared to avoid a repeat of the ambushes that Trump unleashed on the Ukrainian and South African presidents in the Oval Office. But in the end it was Musk who took the president’s fire.