A bromance for the ages: The timeline of Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s tumultuous relationship | EUROtoday

The speedy and intense bromance between two of the world’s strongest males – Donald Trump and Elon Musk – could not have been on many individuals’s bingo playing cards for 2024, given their earlier historical past.

But, it blossomed to finish the 12 months.

In current months, the tech billionaire has turn into the self-titled “first buddy” to the president-elect, however their relationship has not all the time been rosy. Before the marketing campaign rallies, compliments and shut proximity lodgings, the pair have had their justifiable share of public disagreements and even exchanged insults.

With rumors swirling of a possible finish to the honeymoon interval between Trump and Musk – sources report that Trump is already changing into “annoyed” together with his rich good friend – here’s a look again at their typically tumultuous relationship:

November 2016

In 2016, Musk was not the most important fan of his future bestie, stating publicly that Trump was not match to run for the nation’s highest workplace.

“I feel a bit stronger that he is not the right guy. He doesn’t seem to have the sort of character that reflects well on the United States,” the billionaire instructed CNBC on the time.

His skepticism didn’t seem to final lengthy nonetheless, after he was appointed by Trump to an financial advisory council, alongside Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, the subsequent month following Trump’s first election win.

June 2017

The pair’s first skilled relationship didn’t finish properly.

After Trump’s announcement that the U.S. can be withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement, Musk tendered his resignation from his positions on the presidential advisory boards.

“Am departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world,” Musk wrote on X, then-Twitter, and never but below his possession.

January 2022

Five years later, it was Trump who rekindled the connection after describing Musk as one of many world’s “great geniuses” and likening him to Thomas Edison.

The President-elect instructed CNBC that the SpaceX boss was “one of our very smart people.”

Foreshadowing the current, Trump went on to say that Musk was not solely good at electrical vehicles, however “he does good at rockets, too, by the way. “I never saw where the engines come down with no wings, no anything, and they’re landing,” he stated.

July 2022

That complimentary perspective was brief lived, as simply six months later Trump referred to Musk as “another bulls*** artist.”

Speaking about free speech at a rally in Anchorage, Alaska, Trump mused over Musk’s vow that he would purchase the social media platform previously often called Twitter, whereas selling his personal – the soon-to-be-infamous Truth Social.

“Elon is not going to buy Twitter… he said the other day ‘Oh, I’ve never voted for a Republican’. I said ‘I didn’t know that’. He told me he voted for me. So he’s another bulls*** artist.”  Musk replied to a clip of the rally: “I don’t hate the man, but it’s time for Trump to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset.”

In one other social media submit he claimed that Musk would have “dropped to his knees and begged” if he had requested. “Lmaooo [laughing my *** off],” Musk responded.

November 2022

Musk’s claims had been in the end not, as Trump claimed, “bulls***” – and Musk formally accomplished the acquisition of the platform in October 2022.

It appeared as if the July remarks had been forgiven or forgotten nonetheless, after Musk reinstated Trump’s account, reversing a ban that had stored Trump off the platform for the reason that riot on the U.S. Capitol on January 6.

Musk made the announcement after holding a ballot that requested Twitter customers to click on “yes” or “no” on whether or not Trump’s account must be reinstated. The “yes” vote received, with 51.8 %. “The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated. Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” he wrote.

September 2023

Musk seemingly started to align extra with Trump insurance policies, together with these on immigration, posting in favor of a U.S. border wall with Mexico – one of many President-elect’s most championed insurance policies.

“We actually do need a wall and we need to require people to have some shred of evidence to claim asylum to enter, as everyone is doing that…” Musk wrote.

March 2024

Despite shifting towards Trump, the billionaire tech boss was nonetheless publicly ambivalent in backing both get together, saying on X that he wouldn’t donate to a candidate within the presidential election.

July 2024

That perspective modified rapidly following the tried assassination of Trump at a marketing campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Musk endorsed Trump as a candidate seconds after he was rushed off stage by secret service brokers, and it was later reported that he stated Musk would commit round $45 million a month to a brand new pro-Trump tremendous PAC known as America PAC.

August 2024

Musk hosted Trump on X for a “conversation” that become a marathon ramble harking back to the president-elect’s marketing campaign rallies. During the chat he prompt that Trump ought to type a fee targeted on “government efficiency” and appoint him to it.

Later that month he posted “I am willing to serve.”

October 2024

Musk made his first public appearance with Trump after the former president returned to Butler. Bouncing onto the stage excitedly and wearing a black “Make America Great Again” cap, he told crowds: “As you’ll be able to see, I’m not simply MAGA — I’m darkish MAGA.”

The billionaire later announced that he would give away $1 million a day to voters in swing states who have signed a petition from his America PAC to support free speech and the right to bear arms.

November 2024

Musk spent the evening with Trump and other MAGA die-hards at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to watch the vote returns and the sweeping Republican victory.

Shortly after, Trump announced that Musk and his former presidential candidate rival Vivek Ramaswamy would lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE – a tongue-in-cheek reference to an internet meme favored by Musk), which will operate as an independent advisory group to cut government spending and streamline bureaucracy.

Later that month Trump traveled to Texas to witness SpaceX’s Starship launch alongside Musk – who now refers to himself as “First Buddy” – with reports also emerging that the pair spend “almost every day together.” Musk is also reported to have sat in on and even held talks with foreign leaders.

December 2024

The dynamic duo teamed up for a coordinated however in the end unsuccessful effort to tank a stopgap authorities spending invoice from passing in Congress, leaving each Democrats and even Republicans exhausted with the rising political affect of the world’s wealthiest individual.

Resulting considerations and descriptions of the Tesla boss as “president Musk” finally led Trump to deal with their relationship dynamic head-on. “No, he’s not taking the presidency,” Trump declared in a speech. “That’s not happening.”

However, the pair nonetheless look like considerably inseparable. A report from The New York Times revealed that Musk spent a lot of the final two months for the reason that election renting a $2,000-per-night cottage on the grounds of the president-elect’s Florida residence – which is situated simply a number of hundred ft from the principle home.

But all is probably not roses for lengthy, with sources telling Mediate simply earlier than the New Year that Trump is now changing into “annoyed” together with his “first buddy” following Musk’s public spat with different members of the MAGA hardcore over H1B visas.

“100 percent Trump is annoyed,” a supply who labored on Trump’s re-election marketing campaign instructed the outlet. “There’s a Chinese saying: ‘two tigers cannot live on one mountaintop.’”