Elon Musk said Donald Trump appears in files relating to the disgraced paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein as their dramatic falling-out erupted in public view.
According to a report by the London Evening Standard, the Tesla boss gave no evidence for the explosive claim that came after the US President said he is “disappointed” with Musk for publicly criticising his signature tax and spending bill.
In a post on his social platform X, the billionaire said: “@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.”
The SpaceX boss made the claim as he announced that it was “time to drop a really big bomb”. “Have a nice day, DJT!” he added.
Growing tensions between the two men reached a breaking point after Trump suggested his former adviser Musk is missing the government and has “Trump derangement syndrome”.
Shares in Musk’s electric car firm Tesla dropped around 14 per cent as the public argument continued. Investors in the company watched in horror as it lost its $1 trillion (£740bn) valuation, with a reported $150 million wiped off the company’s value since their row began.
Musk later said of Trump’s flagship policy: “The Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year” as the attacks showed no sign of stopping.
The “Epstein files” refer to Justice Department records concerning the late convicted sex offender who allegedly arranged underage girls for sex for a string of famous names.
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Epstein killed himself in his jail cell in August 2019, whilst awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking minors.
The files have recently been brought to public attention after the Trump administration pledged to release them for public viewing to debunk conspiracy theories over his death.
But after an initial release of information in February, the full release was delayed, with Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, stating in May that there is no “specific timeline” for their publication.
The argument between Musk and Trump exploded on Thursday when Musk posted on X, formerly Twitter, to claim Trump would have lost the election without him, adding: “Such ingratitude”. Trump hit back on his own Truth Social platform, accusing Musk of going “CRAZY”.
Earlier, during an Oval Office meeting with the new German chancellor, Trump said of Musk’s criticism: “I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot.”
He then threatened to cut Musk’s government contracts as the spectacular public breakdown between the pair erupted.
The president and the world’s richest man, nicknamed the “First Buddy” during his former key role in the Trump administration, were close friends and allies. Musk said in February he loved the commander-in-chief “as much as a straight man can love another man”.
It is less than a week since they appeared together at the White House, and Trump thanked Musk for his brief time leading his department of government efficiency, known as Doge.
But on Thursday, the president warned he could use the US government to hurt Musk’s business interests with his internet company Starlink and rocket firm SpaceX in the firing line.
“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” Trump wrote on his social media network.
“I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”
“This just gets better and better,” Musk quickly replied on X. “Go ahead, make my day.”
The friendship began to publicly fall apart on 3rd June when Musk attacked Trump’s sweeping tax-cut and spending bill.
“I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it”, Musk wrote on X.
Trump appeared to expect their falling-out was going to get worse when he spoke from the Oval Office earlier on Thursday.
“Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore,” he said. “He said the most beautiful things about me, and he hasn’t said bad about me personally, but I’m sure that’ll be next.”
