Weeks after Elon Musk had a major falling-out with Donald Trump, the genesis of this rupture between the former DOGE chief and the president of the United States remains unclear. It might have been rooted in something as specific as a rebuffed recommendation for NASA administrator or something as general as an inevitable clash between two of the world’s largest egos. But its flash point was definitely Musk’s June decision to start trashing the president’s One Big Beautiful Bill as a “disgusting abomination.” It wasn’t lost on anyone that Musk nearly caused a government shutdown last December after a similar eruption on social media. So the shouting match over Trump’s treasured megabill escalated rapidly into very public insults and threats.

After a few days, perhaps realizing he was risking a lot of federal-government contracts, Musk backed down and even apologized for going too far. But as the Senate considered the megabill, Musk blew up again, calling it “incredibly destructive,” “utterly insane,” and “political suicide for the Republican Party.” Trump brushed it all off as sour grapes, and Senate Republicans ignored Musk’s........

© Daily Intelligencer