President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Thursday afternoon’s exchange between the world’s most powerful leader and the world’s richest man continues to dominate headlines this morning. The break between President Trump and Elon Musk has been brewing for a while, but it escalated in recent days as Musk took to X to write of Trump’s signature legislation, “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.”
While it took a couple of days, the president finally responded in kind when asked about the comments during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Trump stated that he was “very disappointed with Elon . . . He had no problem with it. All of a sudden he had a problem, and he only developed the problem when he found out we’re going to cut the EV mandate.” Musk responded quickly, accusing Trump of lying about the bill before taking credit for the results of last November’s election.
The spat escalated further once the meeting was over, and the president was free to begin posting on his own social media platform. Among the highlights (or lowlights, depending on your point of view) were:
- Musk reposting old clips of Trump criticizing high deficits and unbalanced budgets before asking, “Where is this guy today?” He then did the same for House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
- Trump stating that “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” to which Musk responded, “Go ahead, make my day.”
- Musk posting “Time to drop the really big bomb: Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!” He then went on to agree with a post calling for Trump to be impeached.
While the feud’s impact on Trump is difficult to measure, the cost to Musk came quickly. After rallying for much of May, Tesla’s stock plunged more than 14 percent by the time markets closed. That drop equates to a loss of more than $150 billion in the company’s market valuation and comes at roughly a $20 billion loss to Musk personally.
Neither Trump nor Musk is a stranger to online spats, and news broke late Thursday evening that White House aides have already scheduled a time for the two to talk today. That said, it would appear that their problems run much deeper than a disagreement on the bill.
Competing interests or irreconcilable differences?
Much of what has come out in recent days about the relationship between Musk and Trump should be taken with a grain of salt. After all, the government is filled with people on both sides of the aisle who will be in full spin mode to make the most of the situation, so it may take some time to discern what really sparked Thursday’s social media explosion.
That said, some trends are emerging that explain how what appeared to be a rather abrupt fracture in their relationship was actually building for some time.
As Batya Ungar-Sargon writes for The Free Press, while Musk and Trump shared some common goals, “On immigration, foreign policy, and economic policy, Musk’s interests, which we have reason to believe he pursued behind the scenes, were always on a collision course with what President Trump viewed as the interests of the United States.”
She goes on to detail how Musk met with leaders during Trump’s trip through the Middle East in an effort to push acceptance of his AI platform as a condition for American support—a qualifier that appears to have come without Trump’s approval—while also advocating for the Federal Aviation Administration to use Starlink in its air traffic control platforms.
However, beyond trying to advance his companies, Musk also opposed Trump’s tariffs, favored an expansion of the H-1B visa program, and was far more comfortable with China than most in the administration.
Now, none of that necessarily changes his arguments against the One Big Beautiful Bill. Most outside of Trump’s circle of influence agree with him that it will substantially increase the national debt, which was the crux of his criticism. And, despite Trump’s claims, Musk has also favored ending the EV tax credits for some time, so removing those credits falls short of explaining his opposition to the bill’s passing.
However, their recent history and ideological differences on other subjects do paint a more detailed picture of how their competing interests grew to what could now be irreconcilable differences. And what we saw Thursday afternoon offers a stark warning for each of us today.
A foundation of faith
When Elon Musk first threw his support behind Donald Trump in the buildup to last November’s elections, it appeared that they were united on many of the causes that seemed most important to both men. And lowering the national debt was chief among them. That common cause served as the foundation for their friendship and for their political alliance.
That is no longer the case, and their relationship has fractured as a result. Yet, what happened between Trump and Musk can—and, far too often, does—happen in our churches as well.
While politics is often the most prominent source of division within the body of Christ today, it is far from the only cause. Churches have been fighting and dividing throughout Christian history, and though the reasons vary, that division can almost always trace its roots back to the communities of faith growing more occupied with their differences than with what they have in common: Jesus.
From the first century to today, Christ’s declaration that he would build his church on the foundation of faith in him has not changed (Matthew 16:17–18). As such, for our communities to last, the foundation has to be our common faith in Jesus and our identity in him. And while I suspect most churches claim that to be the case, if we’re not actively pursuing that foundation, then it’s easy for it to become more of a stated goal than a reality.
Politics, race, economics, or any host of other factors—many of which can and do play a significant role in how we see ourselves and the world around us—can subtly begin to take on a greater level of significance than they should if we are not actively and publicly pursuing a relationship with Christ as the basis for our relationships with one another. And every one of us has a role to play in ensuring that this foundation remains strong.
So, how would you characterize your church family today? When you think about your friends and community, what draws you close to one another?
Jesus doesn’t have to be the only thing we have in common, but if he’s not at the top of that list, then we shouldn’t be surprised when something comes along to make that foundation falter.
How sturdy is your foundation today?
Quote of the day:
“What binds us together is not common education, common race, common income levels, common politics, common nationality, common accents, common jobs, or anything else of that sort. Christians come together because they have all been loved by Jesus himself. They are a band of natural enemies who love one another for Jesus’ sake.” —D. A. Carson
Our recent website resources:
Search
