Elon Musk and Donald Trump, two highly egoistic, powerful men, clashed with each other recently. Not much of a surprise, honestly. But how did it come to this? Especially when this relationship/friendship was mutually beneficial for the two.

On one hand, you have Musk: the Tesla/SpaceX/X (Twitter) tycoon who is also the richest man in the world currently. On the other hand, Trump: the political wrecking ball who is also the president of USA right now.

You’d think they’d bond over their mutual disdain for convention. For a time, they did. Until, well… they didn’t.

Now, Elon regrets the tweets.

The Bromance that Never Was

Let’s rewind a bit. Musk wasn’t always anti-Trump. In fact, when Trump first took office, Musk joined his advisory councils. There was talk about collaboration on infrastructure, job creation, and even climate policy (which feels almost laughable in hindsight).

Musk, fresh off Tesla and SpaceX success, even served in Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) to cut down on government expenditures.

But cracks started showing.

Tensions hit a high point when Musk slammed Trump’s signature fiscal package—the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” by calling it a “disgusting abomination,” blasting debt and EV subsidy cuts.

From Mutual Benefit to a Battle of Insults

After that, things got wildly dramatic (and to think they said women were too emotional to lead).

Musk accused Trump of being implicated in the Jeffrey Epstein files (a claim later deleted), called for his impeachment, and humiliated him through meme warfare on X. Trump, not one to take it lying down, hit back on Truth Social and threatened to revoke government subsidies and contracts worth billions.

The result? Tesla shares plummeted 14%, wiping out over $150 billion in market value. SpaceX was briefly dragged into the chaos, with Musk threatening to “decommission” the Dragon spacecraft — a threat he later retracted.

So, Why Did it Go So Far?

Simple answer? Ego. Complicated answer? Ego, ideology and overestimation.

And now? Elon Musk is reportedly expressing regret. Not for disagreeing with Trump but for turning it into a public spat that alienated both conservative allies and moderates who saw the beef as childish and unnecessary.

He’s lost influence on both sides of the aisle and gained little in return.

If anything, this saga has shown us one thing. These billionaires are very well aware of each other’s crimes, but their anger is never out of goodwill and is more based on their personal benefit.