Elon Musk backs impeachment of Donald Trump, wants JD Vance to replace him
This marks another sharp jab in the ongoing clash between Musk and Trump, following a series of heated exchanges over government contracts, tax bills, and political influence.
Elon Musk escalated his public feud with Donald Trump by supporting a call for the President's impeachment and backing JD Vance as his replacement.
Musk responded with a simple “Yes” to a post by user Ian Miles Cheong on X (formerly Twitter), which read: “President vs Elon. Who wins? My money’s on Elon. Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should replace him.”
This marks another sharp jab in the ongoing clash between Musk and Trump, following a series of heated exchanges over government contracts, tax bills, and political influence.
The endorsement of Vance signals Musk’s growing willingness to publicly challenge Trump’s leadership within the party.
The feud has intensified with Musk criticising Trump’s policies and Trump threatening to cut Musk’s companies’ government contracts.
As the battle of words continues to unfold on social media, Musk’s backing of impeachment adds a new dimension to the high-profile dispute.
Elon Musk-Donald Trump feud escalates
Tech billionaire Elon Musk and President Donald Trump are embroiled in an escalating public feud that has taken sharp turns — from explosive allegations to threats over government contracts.
Elon Musk in a recent social media post made a startling claim suggesting that Donald Trump’s name appears in the controversial Jeffrey Epstein files — the reason, Musk claims, why the documents have not been released publicly.
“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!” Musk wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
He added: “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”
Roots of the rift: The ‘Big Beautiful Bill’
The feud initially began when Musk criticised Trump’s flagship tax-and-spending legislation, dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill,” which is a major Republican-backed package.
“I think a bill can be big or it could be beautiful. But I don’t know if it could be both,” Musk said in a May 28 interview on CBS.
He further criticised the bill, saying it “increases the budget deficit and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing.”
Clash over electric vehicle subsidies
Tensions intensified when Trump accused Musk of only opposing the bill after discovering it included cuts to electric vehicle (EV) subsidies.
“He knew the inner workings of the bill better than anybody sitting here. He had no problem with it. All of a sudden he had a problem & he only developed the problem when he found out we’re going to cut EV mandate,” Trump claimed.
Musk fired back on X: “This bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!”
He clarified, “I’m fine with the cuts to EV credits as long as Republicans remove the mountain of disgusting pork in wasteful spending from the bill.”
Government contract threats and Dragon spacecraft decommissioning
The conflict took a serious turn on June 6, when Trump threatened to cancel government contracts held by Musk’s companies.
In response, Musk announced on X: “In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.”
The Dragon spacecraft is a crucial asset for NASA, being the only US vehicle capable of transporting astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
Ongoing fallout
The public war of words between Musk and Trump continues to dominate headlines, with both sides digging in amid a wider political and business clash. Musk’s bold accusations and Trump’s retaliatory threats highlight the increasingly bitter dispute between the two high-profile figures.