Elon Musk and Donald Trump got into it yesterday. It was intense, unnecessary, but also wildly entertaining. It was a political headache no one needed, but the memes and reactions to these two billionaires duking it out were gold. Musk is trying to sink the reconciliation legislation—the big, beautiful bill—though the hostility is misdirected. It’s no secret Musk is not happy that his DOGE cuts were not codified. That can’t happen in this bill; it’s not an appropriations package. Trump threatened to nuke all subsidies to Elon’s companies. Elon, in return, accused Trump of slow-walking the release of the Epstein Files because he’s on them.
Yet, while there are many reasons, the one being cited as the straw that broke the camel’s back was the nuking of Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator. Axios cited it, along with the Wall Street Journal:
The uneasy alliance between the two men was also strained by a recent move by the White House to nix Trump’s nominee to run NASA, Jared Isaacman, according to people familiar with the matter. Musk, a close ally of Isaacman, had advocated for him to get the job.
The decision infuriated Musk, who complained to associates over the weekend that he had donated hundreds of millions of dollars to help get Trump elected in last year’s campaign, only to see Isaacman’s nomination pulled, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said. Musk’s frustration over the NASA episode made him more willing to aggressively criticize the tax bill, people close to him said. Musk didn’t respond to a request for comment.
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Musk has long harbored frustrations with the tax bill, raising concerns about provisions in the legislation that repeal tax credits for electric vehicles, people close to him said. Musk’s car company, Tesla, is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of electric vehicles. He is also the founder of SpaceX, which has government contracts with NASA. Isaacman has ties to SpaceX, including flying on the company’s first private flight to orbit.
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After Trump withdrew the NASA nomination, Musk defended Isaacman in a post on X. “It is rare to find someone so competent and good-hearted,” Musk said. Isaacman has told associates he believes Musk’s departure gave the administration an opening to oust him, according to people familiar with the matter.
The Daily Caller also picked it up:
WH insiders told @DailyCaller that the snubbing of Elon Musk’s NASA pick was the final straw after months of friction between he and the Trump White House.
— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) June 5, 2025
Musk had been over-asking and trying to act like a second president.
And despite Musk’s public opposition to EV tax… pic.twitter.com/8SgzcOpjRG
So, what’s the beef with Mr. Isaacman? He’s a major Democratic donor. Sure, he’s tossed a few bucks here and there to Republican candidates, but Mr. Isaacman is a Democrat’s man. That’s fine, and Mr. Isaacman isn’t stupid, knowing that the end of his NASA nomination coincided with Elon’s planned departure from the White House. Still, he found his 'cup of coffee' in politics “thrilling.” There was no crash out. No whining. He accepted the reality of it and moved on. Something that Mr. Musk opted not to do in recent days.
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