Trump vs Musk: Call the breakup poetic justice. Call it karmic crypto-collapse. Just don't call it surprising
When two men believe the world revolves around them, it's only a matter of time before their orbits collide. And when they do, the explosion isn't quiet. Rather, it's a full-blown Twitter meltdown with echoes loud enough to rattle both Wall Street and Mar-a-Lago. And boy, we are watching the best cosmic collision since Pluto got downgraded.
Welcome to the spectacular implosion of the Trump–Musk bromance. What began as a mutual admiration society of billionaire chest-thumping and red-hat flirting has now devolved into the kind of public breakup even the Real Housewives would find a bit too messy.
Let's rewind.
Once upon a time, in the golden age of post-truth politics, Elon Musk, the tech messiah, meme lord, and part-time Mars enthusiast, decided to dip his toes into political kingmaking. A neat little $277 million was funnelled into the Donald Trump campaign machinery. In any other part of the world, this would be called oligarchic meddling. In the United States, it's called 'Super Tuesday'.
Trump, ever the transactional romantic, reciprocated by giving Musk a cosy seat at the regulatory table named DOGE, where he could quietly dismantle watchdogs, neuter climate policies, and make capitalism great again (for Tesla stock). Love was in the air. Or maybe, it was just the fumes from Musk's Boring Company flamethrowers.
But like all ill-fated love stories, this one came with red flags. Musk's reputation, once burnished with visions of space colonies and clean energy, began to crumble under the weight of layoffs, lawsuits, and livestreamed tantrums. Turns out, being the adult in the room is hard when you're too busy rebranding Twitter into an unpronounceable algebra problem.
Enter phase two: Reputation rehab.
Suddenly, Musk was 'distancing' himself from the Trump administration. He quit councils, tweeted vaguely progressive things, and flirted with the idea of centrism, all while pretending he hadn't spent the past four years quietly enjoying deregulation like a raccoon in a trash buffet.
But this Thursday? The façade shattered.
In a tweet that will one day be studied in both communications courses and FBI depositions, Musk posted: 'Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files.'
He even had the gall to add: 'Have a nice day, DJT!'
That wasn't a mic drop. That was a nuke in 280 characters.
And let's be honest: If anyone was going to try to cancel someone else using Jeffrey Epstein, it was always likely to be Musk.
Trump, unsurprisingly, didn't take it well. His reply was less subtle than a red tie in a wind tunnel: Musk is 'crazy,' and perhaps more worryingly for SpaceX investors, he threatened to cut off government contracts.
Suddenly, two men who once shared bromantic photo ops and mutual disdain for accountability were hurling legal threats across a billion-dollar battlefield. Kanye West (of course) tried to play counsellor, tweeting something along the lines of 'bros don't fight, we love you both'. Unfortunately, love is dead and so is Kanye's credibility.
And yet… are we really witnessing the final act?
Let's not forget: Trump has made up with worse. Just ask Marco 'sweaty little man' Rubio or Ted 'your wife is ugly' Cruz. With Trump, personal insults are just foreplay. It's politics as WWE: Everyone's bleeding, but it's still part of the script.
Still, there's something deliciously different this time. This feud doesn't feel like kayfabe. It feels real. Real messy. Real vindictive. Real stupid. And that makes it… kind of beautiful?
Because if 2025 is going to be yet another parade of rich men yelling into microphones about how oppressed they are, the least we can ask for is a little entertainment. Preferably the kind that ends in lawsuits and meme wars.
So, grab your popcorn. Watch the world's richest man implode on the platform he owns, while being roasted by the guy he helped elect. Call it poetic justice. Call it karmic crypto-collapse. Call it what you will.
Just don't call it surprising.
After all, in the immortal words of the internet, 'This you?'
sudhanshu.mishra@indianexpress.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
5 minutes ago
- Business Standard
The EV revolution throws up new challenges for govt, auto sector
The growth of EVs offers some challenges to both the Indian automotive industry and, more broadly, the government Business Standard Editorial Comment Mumbai Listen to This Article Foreign-owned electric-vehicle (EV) companies are expanding their footprint in India with remarkable swiftness. Vietnamese carmaker VinFast has begun accepting reservations for its VF6 and VF7 models. It has reportedly signed deals with dealers for physical showrooms in 27 cities in India. Meanwhile, Elon Musk's Tesla has finally entered India and is taking orders from its Mumbai showroom for Model Y. The two companies, however, seem to have slightly different strategies. Tesla has chosen not to invest in a local factory, which might have allowed it to avoid paying tariffs on the imported Model Ys. As a result, the car is
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
5 minutes ago
- Business Standard
EU, US near trade deal to avoid 30% tariffs, settle at 15% rate instead
The European Union is heading towards a trade deal with Washington that would result in a broad 15 per cent tariff on EU goods imported into the US, avoiding a harsher 30 per cent levy slated to be implemented from August 1, two EU diplomats said on Wednesday. The rate, which could also extend to cars, would mirror the framework agreement the United States struck with Japan. Officials from the European Commission, which negotiates trade deals on behalf of the 27-nation bloc, briefed EU envoys on the state of talks with their US counterparts. US President Donald Trump would ultimately make any final decision on a deal, however. Under the outlines of the potential deal, the 15 per cent rate could apply to sectors including cars and pharmaceuticals and would not be added to long-standing US duties, which average just under 5 per cent. There could also be concessions for sectors like aircraft, lumber as well as some medicines and agricultural products, which would not face tariffs, the diplomats said. Washington does not, however, appear willing to lower its current 50 per cent tariff on steel, they said. The Commission said earlier on Wednesday that its primary focus was to achieve a negotiated outcome to avert the threatened 30 per cent tariffs. At the same time it planned to submit counter-tariffs on 93 billion euros ($109 billion) worth of US goods to EU members for approval. A vote is expected on Thursday, though no measures would be imposed until August 7. Germany supported the EU readying countermeasures, a government representative said. If Trump's 30 per cent tariffs are implemented, EU diplomats also said there was broad support among European governments to activate wide-ranging so-called "anti-coercion" measures , which would allow the bloc to target US services and other sectors. US-Japan deal as template? The EU appears to be following in the footsteps of Japan, whose agreement with the United States is the most significant Trump has struck since launching his tariff offensive in April. European shares climbed around 1 per cent, led by automobile stocks, following the US-Japan announcement. One stand-out feature of that deal was that the same 15 per cent rate applies to cars, compared to the current US tariff of 27.5 per cent, something the EU may want for its own auto exports. The US imported vehicles and automotive parts valued at more than $55 billion from Japan last year. EU exports were 47.3 billion euros ($55.45 billion). Far fewer US cars were sold into the EU or Japanese markets. EU officials say Washington has shown little sign of budging on car tariffs, but the Japan deal could hint at flexibility. "Whatever the Japanese got will become the minimum for the EU negotiating objectives," said Simon Evenett, professor of geopolitics and strategy at IMD Business School.
Hindustan Times
22 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Harvard under investigation over participation in visa program for foreign students and researchers
In the latest in series of Trump administration inquiries targeting Harvard University, the State Department said Wednesday it is investigating whether the Ivy League school will remain part of a government program that provides American visas for students and researchers from other countries. FILE PHOTO: A view of the Business School campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., April 15, 2025. REUTERS/Faith Ninivaggi/File Photo(REUTERS) Harvard has faced mounting sanctions and scrutiny from Washington since rejecting demands from a federal antisemitism task force in April. Harvard has filed a lawsuit challenging $2.6 billion in federal cuts and has accused the Republican administration of waging a retaliation campaign. The statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not say why his department was examining Harvard's eligibility to take part in the Exchange Visitor Program, which allows foreign nationals to study or work in the United States through cultural and education exchange programs. It said all sponsors, such as Harvard, 'are required to fully comply with exchange visitor regulations, transparency in reporting, and a demonstrated commitment to fostering the principles of cultural exchange and mutual understanding upon which the program was founded.' Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton said the investigation was "another retaliatory step" taken by the administration. "Harvard continues to enroll and sponsor international scholars, researchers, and students, and will protect its international community and support them as they apply for U.S. visas and travel to campus this fall,' Newton said in a statement. He said the school is committed to complying with the program's rules. Brett Bruen, a former director of global engagement under Democratic President Barack Obama, said there is no justification for the administration's action. 'It not only damages Harvard, but American higher education & industry that depend on the best & brightest wanting to come here,' Bruen said in a post on X. The State Department said the investigation will seek to ensure that its programs "do not run contrary to our nation's interests.' The administration also has tried several times to prevent the school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, from hosting foreign students, and President Donald Trump has threatened to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status. Last month, his administration issued a finding that Harvard tolerated antisemitism, a step that could jeopardize all of Harvard's federal funding, including student loans or grants. The penalty is typically referred to as a 'death sentence.' Harvard's president, Alan Garber, has said the university has made changes to combat antisemitism and will not submit to the administration's demands.
