Trump and Musk divided after scrappy online fallout. Follow live updates here.

Trump, Musk part ways after heated online spat

CTV political analyst Eric Hamm weighed in on the Trump-Musk feud, its economic implications, global repercussions and what could happen next.

US President Donald Trump and billionaire investor Elon Musk had a heated spat yesterday. The two, who were once political allies, traded accusations, insults and threats on social media.

The dispute escalated after Trump pushed through his mega-bill, dubbed “A Big, Beautiful Bill” — an 1,116-page plan that includes tax cuts, Medicaid restrictions, border wall funding and investment for the Golden Dome project. By some estimates, the bill would add $2.4 trillion to the US national debt over the next 10 years, although the White House has denied that figure.

Musk, a staunch supporter of government spending cuts, mocked the bill, saying, “A bill cannot be both big and beautiful.” The dispute escalated into a full-scale online brawl on Thursday.

Breaking news:
Russia: From peace proposal to political jokes

The conflict in Moscow has also been noticed and ridiculed by Russian officials. One high-ranking official jokingly suggested holding peace talks, while another urged Musk to move his business to Russia.

Dmitry Rogozin, a nationalist senator and former head of the Russian space agency, wrote on Platform X:
“Don’t be upset, Ilan! If you get into trouble in America, come to Russia. Here you will find loyal companions and complete technical freedom.”

Dmitry Medvedev, a former president and member of the Russian Security Council, also wrote:
“We are ready to make peace between D and E. Of course, with a reasonable fee and, preferably, a share of the Starlink shares!”

He also wrote: “Don’t fight, kids!”

Margarita Simonyan, head of the Russian state-run RT network, called the conflict “an example of today’s American political culture,” writing: “Almost like the Industrial Revolution in England, only in reverse.”

Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, also wrote on X:
“Why can’t we all get along?”

He also asked the chatbot Grok: “How can we reconcile the two?”

“This is an internal American matter. But we are sure that Trump will cope with it,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Meanwhile, some Russian politicians saw the fight as an opportunity for the United States to entertain itself and to buy time for Washington.

Nationalist billionaire Konstantin Malofeev said:
“Now is the best time to hit Ukraine.”

Trump: I don't want to talk to Musk

A White House official said Trump has no interest in talking to Elon Musk and that there is no plan to contact the two.

However, a report of their phone conversation was released earlier on Friday.

Trump also said in an interview with CNN:
"I don't think about Elon at all. The guy has a problem."

Despite a 14% drop in Tesla shares on Thursday, wiping out $150 billion in market value, the company's shares rose 4.5% on Friday morning.

Musk, who had financed part of Trump's election campaign, was invited to the White House after Trump's victory to lead a project to shrink the federal government.

Musk Backs Down on Threat to Abandon Dragon

Amid a war of words with Trump, Musk threatened to de-orbit the Dragon spacecraft, which is used to transport astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station.

Hours later, Musk responded to an X user by writing that he would not do so.

The capsule, built with government contracts, is a vital part of NASA’s projects and the U.S. space program.

Currently, the only American company that can transport astronauts to the space station is SpaceX and its four-person Dragon spacecraft.

Tesla Shares Make a Slow Recovery

As the conflict continues, Tesla shares, which lost $150 billion in value on Thursday, rose about 5 percent in trading on Friday.

Although Trump and Musk were initially reported to be planning to talk, the White House later said there were no such plans.

Musk also announced on the social network X that he was willing to consider reducing tensions, in response to the comments of American billionaire Bill Ackman, who called for calm and de-escalation.

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