Elon Musk has claimed that former U.S. President Donald Trump is named in files related to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The comment marks the latest escalation in an increasingly public and hostile dispute between the tech billionaire and the former president.
Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Musk wrote:
“@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”
Musk did not provide any evidence to support the claim. Sky News has reached out to the White House for comment. Epstein died by suicide in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges of sex trafficking minors.
The row has intensified in recent days, with Musk also criticising Trump’s economic policies. In another post on Thursday, Musk warned that Trump’s proposed tariffs “will cause a recession in the second half of this year.”
Musk further fueled speculation of a political shift by sharing a post advocating for Trump’s impeachment and questioning whether it was time to form a new political party to represent “the 80% in the middle.”
Elon Musk took it a step further
He also announced that his aerospace company, SpaceX, would begin winding down its Dragon spacecraft program following what he described as Trump’s threats to cancel federal contracts with his companies. Dragon remains the only American spacecraft capable of transporting astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
The feud has had real-world financial repercussions. Tesla shares fell sharply, losing approximately $150 billion (£111 billion) in market value and closing down 14.3% on the day.
Trump, for his part, has expressed frustration with Musk. Speaking on Truth Social, he wrote:
“I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot.”
He accused Musk of suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome” and added:
“I took away his EV mandate that forced everyone to buy electric cars that nobody wanted—and he just went crazy!”
The tension appears to have been building for some time. Earlier this week, Elon Musk referred to Trump’s recently passed tax and spending bill as an “outrageous” and “disgusting abomination.” The legislation, which includes multi-trillion-dollar tax breaks, was passed by House Republicans in May and praised by Trump as a “big, beautiful bill.” Musk has derided it as the “big, ugly bill.”
Elon Musk also denied Trump’s claim that he had seen the bill in advance, posting on X:
“False. 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!”
In another strongly worded post, Musk suggested he played a pivotal role in Trump’s political success, claiming:
“Without me, Trump would have lost the election. Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.”
Despite the escalating rhetoric, Elon Musk’s father, Errol Musk, told Sky News that there was “no rift” between his son and Trump.
In an interview with The World, he added:
“Elon is not a very good politician.”
Just days earlier, Elon Musk confirmed his role as a “special government employee” was coming to an end, adding yet another layer of uncertainty to his relationship with Washington.
Source – Sky News
