It will be shrugged away in some quarters as two powerful men and an occasional soap opera, but not really a drama to drag on for decades. In the context of Elon Musk and President Donald Trump, it seems to be in fits and starts. The first one ended in a whimper and a damp squib; and the second one has all the tell-tale signs of perhaps getting out of hand and dragging nations and individuals who have nothing to do with the original spat.

It is not as if Musk suddenly found something in the Big, Beautiful Bill that was not to his liking. For several weeks now, he has been harsh about the provisions which, in his view, did nothing to contain the federal deficit but only made the situation worse. There are folks like Musk who argue that when the Bill gets signed by the President, it would have added at least US$ 3.3 trillion to the existing deficit of US$ 36 trillion.

But the world’s richest man did not stop with labelling the President’s Bill as “insane.” He went on to say that anyone voting for this measure is simply “out of their minds,” “utterly insane,” “political suicide” for the Grand Old Party and held out the threat of losing in the primaries of early next year for the November 2026 Midterms. And in the midst of all this, Trump possibly had not forgotten that in Round One, Musk had called for the “impeachment” of the President, a word that rankles the person sitting in the Oval Office.

It must have been irritating for the White House to watch three Republican Senators jump ship and force a tiebreaker in the Senate; Musk’s inputs made matters worse. True to his nature, Trump lashed out at his former First Friend, stressing that doing away with tax credits for EVs was the prime irritant; and then the pile-on came, implying that Musk was getting by because of government subsidies.

“I think what’s going to happen is the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is going to look at Musk. And if DOGE looks at Musk, we are going to save a fortune. I don’t think he should be playing that game with me,” Trump fired back.

An analysis by The Washington Post this February said that Musk and his businesses have received at least US$ 38 billion over the years in government contracts, loans, subsidies, and tax credits. “I think we’ll have to take a look. We may have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn’t that be terrible?” the President wondered. And then the real kicker of sorts: after musing whether Musk would be inclined to pack his bags, President Trump signaled that he would consider deporting the South African-born American citizen.

There were two things that Musk said that contributed to the rising political temperature, the first of which being the start of a new political entity called the America Party. With some US$ 400 billion to his name, the Tesla CEO can certainly start a new political party. But for it to enter into the scheme of things is a long, drawn-out process, perhaps years in the making, given the multiple state laws and requirements that would have to be factored in. But technically, it is doable.

“We’re a two-party country, pure and simple. Musk is probably the only person that could change that given his money, but he’d have to find unique, credible candidates to attract the disillusioned voter who thus far has leaned Trump,” an unnamed former campaign official has been quoted.

The second and more imminent ‘threat’ comes by way of Musk entering primaries for the midterms of November 2026 by funding aspirants for the House and Senate who are running against those who had voted for the Big, Beautiful Bill.

President Trump has already issued a dire warning to Musk against funding Democrats for 2026; but there are many Republicans who could already be sweating over their prospects, especially in purple states, with the Musk factor only adding to the political and financial headaches. It has to be recalled that Musk spent nearly a whopping US$ 300 million in the 2024 elections for President Trump and other Republican candidates that is said to have made a difference in the swing states.

Economically too, it is difficult to ask Musk to pack up his bag and leave. Between Tesla, SpaceX, and other Musk American companies, it is estimated that there are about 125,000 jobs at stake, not to mention the thousands more through contractors and supply chains. And what about the ecosystems that have come about as a result of these sprawling industries?

In all this, America’s reliance on Musk for defense, space, satellite internet services, and the upcoming missile defense system cannot be brushed off with a single stroke. Easy for Chinese social media Weibo to reflect on its platform: “Brother Musk, you’ve got over a billion people on our side backing you.”

Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed in this article/column are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of South Asian Herald.

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