Elon Musk and a top US official got into a heated argument at the White House. The fight started when Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent presented their plans to reform the US tax system to President Donald Trump. Trump liked Bessent’s plan better.
The argument got loud, with Bessent calling Musk a “con artist” for wanting to cut $1 trillion from the federal budget. Musk didn’t take that lying down. He physically clashed with Bessent, and things got out of hand. Several people had to step in to break it up.
This happened back in April, and it seems to have sparked a feud between Musk and Trump. Recently, Musk criticized Trump on social media over a new bill Trump supports. Trump told reporters he’s disappointed in Musk and claims to have helped him a lot in the past. Musk shot back, accusing Trump’s administration of hiding documents about Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump fired back, saying Musk has “lost his mind” and threatening to cancel government contracts with Musk’s companies, which are worth billions of dollars. A former White House official, Steve Bannon, even suggested deporting Musk, despite rumors that Musk is now a US citizen.
So far, none of the parties involved have commented on the incident.
What’s behind the fight?
Musk and Bessent have different ideas about how to fix the US tax system. Musk wants to cut spending, while Bessent has his own plan. Trump chose to support Bessent’s plan, which might have angered Musk.
Key players
- Elon Musk: CEO of SpaceX and Tesla
- Scott Bessent: US Treasury Secretary
- Donald Trump: President of the United States
- Steve Bannon: Former White House official
The Washington Post reported on this story. You can read more about it here.