Elon Musk drops ‘really big bomb,' accuses Donald Trump of being in Epstein files as public brawl escalates
Elon Musk has gone low in his rapidly escalating feud with Trump, accusing him of withholding information about Jeffrey Epstein because it would implicate the President himself.
Elon Musk went low in his rapidly escalating feud with President Trump Thursday, accusing him of withholding information from the public about the infamous sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein because it would implicate Trump himself.
'Time to drop the really big bomb,' Musk posted on X after a multi-hour tirade against the president. '@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files.'
'That is the real reason they have not been made public,' he claimed. 'Have a nice day, DJT!'
The Justice Department in February released more than 100 pages of Epstein's phone contacts and flight logs in a 'Phase One' disclosure that disappointed internet sleuths hoping for bombshell revelations.
The disgraced financier's association with Trump has been known for years as the two were videotaped and photographed together at parties in the 1990s, and the initial batch of DOJ-released files only revealed the names of some family members — including Trump's first wife Ivana and daughter Ivanka — as Epstein contacts.
Aides privately have acknowledged that the president's association with Epstein likely would resurface in a fuller release of files — though they don't believe that any alleged wrongdoing by Trump is described. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025
The contact list and flight logs appeared to be pulled directly from Epstein's 'little black book,' one of which was made public in 2021 during his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell's trial and another of which was auctioned off.
That 1990s-era contact list contains 349 names, 221 of which weren't included in a 2015 revealing of Epstein associates by the website Gawker.
The black book being auctioned off reportedly contains 94 printed entries with 'black, hand-applied checkmarks, and five have been highlighted in yellow,' according to Alexander Historical Auctions.
'All five names, including that of Donald Trump, are well-recognized financial and industrial figures,' the online auctioneer's webpage notes.
Online conspiracists have long speculated that high-power 'clients' of Epstein visited his private island Little St. James in the Caribbean, where many young women and underage girls were allegedly abused.
Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Bill Gates and Prince Andrew are just some of the famous passengers the financier flew on other trips aboard his private plane, later nicknamed the 'Lolita Express.'
Epstein was found dead with bedsheets around his neck in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan on Aug. 10, 2019, just over a month after his arrest on sex trafficking charges.
Last September, Trump said he'd have 'no problem' releasing more official files related to Epstein if elected — including the deceased pedophile's so-called 'client list.'
'I don't think – I mean, I'm not involved,' he noted. 'I never went to his island, fortunately, but a lot of people did.'
The president reportedly banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago in 2007 over an incident with a club member's teen daughter.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has demanded the complete files be turned over to the DOJ after hinting at the FBI's New York Field Office being 'in possession of thousands of pages of documents related to the investigation and indictment of Epstein.'
The ravings of the world's richest man, who until last month led Trump's Department of Government Efficiency cost-cutting crusade, shocked official Washington and set off speculation about Musk's state of mind.
One source close to the White House explained Musk's behavior by saying that he 'fundamentally has an unstable, uncontrollable element to his personality and he lashes out.'
'He's had similar outbursts when running his companies. Sometimes greatest strength can also be greatest weakness,' this person said.
'Revenge, yes. Also, he wanted not just [electric vehicle] mandates [in Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act] but a level of exclusivity for Tesla on the American EV market. And he didn't want fresh competitors like Faraday Future & others to cramp his style.'
A second source close to the administration said there was a 50/50 chance Musk was either 'just throwing a temper tantrum' or 'creating distance [from Trump] thinking it'll help [Tesla] stock price.'
Democrats grab popcornDemocrats watched the social media food fight with glee Thursday after months of flailing for traction amid unified Republican government in Washington — as Trump threatened to end billions in federal funding for SpaceX and Tesla, while Musk's opposition threatened to tank Trump's bill to implement campaign pledges to ax taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security.
'The Trump-Musk feud is like a reality TV episode of the 'Real Housewives', only with less stable people,' snarked Robert Zimmerman, a Democratic National Committeeman from New York.
'It is just further proof this is all personal and about lining their own pockets and no one is actually doing what is good for the American people,' jabbed a high-ranking former Biden White House official.
A congressional Democratic source noted that Musk was Trump's top financial backer in the 2024 election, making the sudden onset and ferocity of the feud even more shocking.
'Now that the Trump experiment to use the richest man in the world as his cash cow drone has failed, Trump must recalibrate or this will be a real problem for him, politically and personally,' the source said.
'For Donald Trump to have not seen this coming makes you both question everything, and worry.'
Originally published as Elon Musk drops 'really big bomb,' accuses Donald Trump of being in Epstein files as public brawl escalates
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Age
41 minutes ago
- The Age
Australian exports to tumble $30b as Trump's tariff war hits home
Australia is headed for a $27 billion collapse in income from two of its biggest exports – liquefied gas and iron ore – as Donald Trump's trade war with China deepens fears for the global economy and stifles demand for commodities. The outlook for some of Australia's largest mining and energy companies has deteriorated since April, when the United States imposed across-the-board tariffs at much higher rates than many had been expecting, leading to increased uncertainty and lower global growth forecasts. While Trump gave Australia the minimum baseline tariff rate of 10 per cent, the fallout for the country is expected to be wider-reaching as the biggest Asian buyers of Australia's natural resources, particularly China, face much higher US tariffs amid an already sluggish time for their economies. 'Rising trade barriers – and uncertainty over how high these barriers will settle – have disrupted trade between the US and its major partners and caused businesses and consumers to adopt a 'wait-and-see' approach,' the Department of Industry, Science and Resources says in its latest export forecast report, to be released on Monday. 'The associated uncertainty is likely to impinge on world commodity demand, as the nations that Australia supplies are impacted.' Australia is the world's largest exporter of iron ore – the raw ingredient that is turned into steel in giant blast furnaces – and one of the top shippers of liquefied natural gas to countries in Asia that need the fuel to keep the lights on and to power their factories. However, as prices continue easing, the revenue earned from those commodities is now projected to decline more sharply than the government had been expecting just three months ago: iron ore earnings are set to fall by $20 billion – from $116 billion to $96 billion – within two years, while LNG is on track to fall from $60 billion to $53 billion. 'The near-term outlook for Australian resources and energy exports has softened as rising trade barriers hurt the world economy,' the department says in the report.
Sydney Morning Herald
41 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Australian exports to tumble $30b as Trump's tariff war hits home
Australia is headed for a $27 billion collapse in income from two of its biggest exports – liquefied gas and iron ore – as Donald Trump's trade war with China deepens fears for the global economy and stifles demand for commodities. The outlook for some of Australia's largest mining and energy companies has deteriorated since April, when the United States imposed across-the-board tariffs at much higher rates than many had been expecting, leading to increased uncertainty and lower global growth forecasts. While Trump gave Australia the minimum baseline tariff rate of 10 per cent, the fallout for the country is expected to be wider-reaching as the biggest Asian buyers of Australia's natural resources, particularly China, face much higher US tariffs amid an already sluggish time for their economies. 'Rising trade barriers – and uncertainty over how high these barriers will settle – have disrupted trade between the US and its major partners and caused businesses and consumers to adopt a 'wait-and-see' approach,' the Department of Industry, Science and Resources says in its latest export forecast report, to be released on Monday. 'The associated uncertainty is likely to impinge on world commodity demand, as the nations that Australia supplies are impacted.' Australia is the world's largest exporter of iron ore – the raw ingredient that is turned into steel in giant blast furnaces – and one of the top shippers of liquefied natural gas to countries in Asia that need the fuel to keep the lights on and to power their factories. However, as prices continue easing, the revenue earned from those commodities is now projected to decline more sharply than the government had been expecting just three months ago: iron ore earnings are set to fall by $20 billion – from $116 billion to $96 billion – within two years, while LNG is on track to fall from $60 billion to $53 billion. 'The near-term outlook for Australian resources and energy exports has softened as rising trade barriers hurt the world economy,' the department says in the report.
The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Israel orders Gaza evacuations as Trump urges war's end
The Israeli military has ordered Palestinians to evacuate areas in northern Gaza, before intensifying fighting against Hamas, as US President Donald Trump calls for an end to the war amid renewed efforts to broker a ceasefire. "Make the deal in Gaza, get the hostages back," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform early on Sunday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to hold talks later in the day on the progress of Israel's offensive. A senior security official said the military will tell him the campaign is close to reaching its objectives, and warn that expanding fighting to new areas in Gaza may endanger the remaining Israeli hostages. But in a statement posted on X and text messages sent to many residents, the military urged people in northern parts of the enclave to head south towards the Al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, which Israel designated as a humanitarian area. Palestinian and UN officials say nowhere in Gaza is safe. "The (Israeli) Defense Forces is operating with extreme force in these areas, and these military operations will escalate, intensify, and extend westward to the city center to destroy the capabilities of terrorist organizations," the military said. The evacuation order covered the Jabalia area and most Gaza City districts. Medics and residents said the Israeli army's bombardments escalated in the early hours in Jabalia, destroying several houses and killing at least six people. In Khan Younis in the south, five people were killed in an airstrike on a tent encampment near Mawasi, medics said. The escalation comes as Arab mediators, Egypt and Qatar, backed by the United States, begin a new ceasefire effort to halt the 20-month-old conflict and secure the release of Israeli and foreign hostages still being held by Hamas. Interest in resolving the Gaza conflict has heightened following US and Israeli bombings of Iran's nuclear facilities. A Hamas official told Reuters the group had informed the mediators it was ready to resume ceasefire talks, but reaffirmed the group's outstanding demands that any deal must end the war and secure an Israeli withdrawal from the coastal territory. Hamas has said it is willing to free remaining hostages in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive, only in a deal that will end the war. Israel says it can only end it if Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms. The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1200 people and taking 251 hostages, Israeli tallies show. Israel's subsequent military assault has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, displaced almost the entire 2.3 million population, plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis and left much of it in ruins. The Israeli military has ordered Palestinians to evacuate areas in northern Gaza, before intensifying fighting against Hamas, as US President Donald Trump calls for an end to the war amid renewed efforts to broker a ceasefire. "Make the deal in Gaza, get the hostages back," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform early on Sunday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to hold talks later in the day on the progress of Israel's offensive. A senior security official said the military will tell him the campaign is close to reaching its objectives, and warn that expanding fighting to new areas in Gaza may endanger the remaining Israeli hostages. But in a statement posted on X and text messages sent to many residents, the military urged people in northern parts of the enclave to head south towards the Al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, which Israel designated as a humanitarian area. Palestinian and UN officials say nowhere in Gaza is safe. "The (Israeli) Defense Forces is operating with extreme force in these areas, and these military operations will escalate, intensify, and extend westward to the city center to destroy the capabilities of terrorist organizations," the military said. The evacuation order covered the Jabalia area and most Gaza City districts. Medics and residents said the Israeli army's bombardments escalated in the early hours in Jabalia, destroying several houses and killing at least six people. In Khan Younis in the south, five people were killed in an airstrike on a tent encampment near Mawasi, medics said. The escalation comes as Arab mediators, Egypt and Qatar, backed by the United States, begin a new ceasefire effort to halt the 20-month-old conflict and secure the release of Israeli and foreign hostages still being held by Hamas. Interest in resolving the Gaza conflict has heightened following US and Israeli bombings of Iran's nuclear facilities. A Hamas official told Reuters the group had informed the mediators it was ready to resume ceasefire talks, but reaffirmed the group's outstanding demands that any deal must end the war and secure an Israeli withdrawal from the coastal territory. Hamas has said it is willing to free remaining hostages in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive, only in a deal that will end the war. Israel says it can only end it if Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms. The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1200 people and taking 251 hostages, Israeli tallies show. Israel's subsequent military assault has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, displaced almost the entire 2.3 million population, plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis and left much of it in ruins. The Israeli military has ordered Palestinians to evacuate areas in northern Gaza, before intensifying fighting against Hamas, as US President Donald Trump calls for an end to the war amid renewed efforts to broker a ceasefire. "Make the deal in Gaza, get the hostages back," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform early on Sunday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to hold talks later in the day on the progress of Israel's offensive. A senior security official said the military will tell him the campaign is close to reaching its objectives, and warn that expanding fighting to new areas in Gaza may endanger the remaining Israeli hostages. But in a statement posted on X and text messages sent to many residents, the military urged people in northern parts of the enclave to head south towards the Al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, which Israel designated as a humanitarian area. Palestinian and UN officials say nowhere in Gaza is safe. "The (Israeli) Defense Forces is operating with extreme force in these areas, and these military operations will escalate, intensify, and extend westward to the city center to destroy the capabilities of terrorist organizations," the military said. The evacuation order covered the Jabalia area and most Gaza City districts. Medics and residents said the Israeli army's bombardments escalated in the early hours in Jabalia, destroying several houses and killing at least six people. In Khan Younis in the south, five people were killed in an airstrike on a tent encampment near Mawasi, medics said. The escalation comes as Arab mediators, Egypt and Qatar, backed by the United States, begin a new ceasefire effort to halt the 20-month-old conflict and secure the release of Israeli and foreign hostages still being held by Hamas. Interest in resolving the Gaza conflict has heightened following US and Israeli bombings of Iran's nuclear facilities. A Hamas official told Reuters the group had informed the mediators it was ready to resume ceasefire talks, but reaffirmed the group's outstanding demands that any deal must end the war and secure an Israeli withdrawal from the coastal territory. Hamas has said it is willing to free remaining hostages in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive, only in a deal that will end the war. Israel says it can only end it if Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms. The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1200 people and taking 251 hostages, Israeli tallies show. Israel's subsequent military assault has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, displaced almost the entire 2.3 million population, plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis and left much of it in ruins. The Israeli military has ordered Palestinians to evacuate areas in northern Gaza, before intensifying fighting against Hamas, as US President Donald Trump calls for an end to the war amid renewed efforts to broker a ceasefire. "Make the deal in Gaza, get the hostages back," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform early on Sunday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to hold talks later in the day on the progress of Israel's offensive. A senior security official said the military will tell him the campaign is close to reaching its objectives, and warn that expanding fighting to new areas in Gaza may endanger the remaining Israeli hostages. But in a statement posted on X and text messages sent to many residents, the military urged people in northern parts of the enclave to head south towards the Al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, which Israel designated as a humanitarian area. Palestinian and UN officials say nowhere in Gaza is safe. "The (Israeli) Defense Forces is operating with extreme force in these areas, and these military operations will escalate, intensify, and extend westward to the city center to destroy the capabilities of terrorist organizations," the military said. The evacuation order covered the Jabalia area and most Gaza City districts. Medics and residents said the Israeli army's bombardments escalated in the early hours in Jabalia, destroying several houses and killing at least six people. In Khan Younis in the south, five people were killed in an airstrike on a tent encampment near Mawasi, medics said. The escalation comes as Arab mediators, Egypt and Qatar, backed by the United States, begin a new ceasefire effort to halt the 20-month-old conflict and secure the release of Israeli and foreign hostages still being held by Hamas. Interest in resolving the Gaza conflict has heightened following US and Israeli bombings of Iran's nuclear facilities. A Hamas official told Reuters the group had informed the mediators it was ready to resume ceasefire talks, but reaffirmed the group's outstanding demands that any deal must end the war and secure an Israeli withdrawal from the coastal territory. Hamas has said it is willing to free remaining hostages in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive, only in a deal that will end the war. Israel says it can only end it if Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms. The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1200 people and taking 251 hostages, Israeli tallies show. Israel's subsequent military assault has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, displaced almost the entire 2.3 million population, plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis and left much of it in ruins.
