Trump–Musk feud deepens as Russia offers asylum and political tensions rise

• Trump told CNN he’s "not even thinking about" Elon Musk and won’t be speaking to him "for a while".
• Musk accused Trump of appearing in Jeffrey Epstein’s files and suggested he should be impeached.
• Trump threatened to cancel government contracts linked to Musk’s companies, calling him someone who "just went crazy".
• A senior Russian lawmaker and a member of the Security Council both mocked the feud and offered Elon Musk political asylum.
• Musk previously played a key role in Trump’s administration and has publicly opposed U.S. aid to Ukraine, echoing Russian narratives.

The fallout began with Musk’s public criticism of Trump’s "One Big Beautiful Bill" — a sweeping tax and spending proposal currently under debate in Congress. Musk expressed concern that the bill would add trillions to the national deficit, echoing warnings from the Congressional Budget Office, which estimated it could raise the deficit by $2.4 trillion over a decade.

In response, Trump lashed out. "Elon was ‘wearing thin,’ I asked him to leave," he wrote on Truth Social, referring to Musk’s recent departure from a federal task force. "I took away his EV mandate... and he just went CRAZY!"

Musk’s reply was swift and incendiary. "Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files," he posted on X. "That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!"

He later added: "Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out."

Musk had once been a key figure in Trump’s inner policy circle. He chaired the government efficiency task force and spearheaded efforts to dismantle USAID, which had supplied billions in aid to Ukraine. But his tone has shifted sharply.

In recent months, Musk has questioned the legitimacy of Ukraine’s leadership, accused the country of conscripting its people into a "never-ending draft meat grinder," and opposed continued U.S. military support — rhetoric increasingly mirrored by Kremlin officials.

Musk claimed, "Without me, Trump would have lost the election. Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51–49 in the Senate. Such ingratitude."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded, telling Newsweek: "This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted. The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation."

Amid the growing divide, Russian officials have seized the moment. Dmitry Novikov, deputy chair of the State Duma’s International Affairs Committee, told state-run TASS: "I think Musk is playing a completely different game... although if he did [seek asylum], Russia could certainly provide it."

Meanwhile, Dmitry Medvedev, the country’s former president and current deputy chairman of the Security Council, offered to broker peace between "D and E" — Trump and Elon — in exchange for Starlink shares. "Don’t fight, guys!" he posted, adding a screaming emoji.

The Kremlin also weighed in on Trump’s earlier comparison of the Russia–Ukraine war to "two children fighting in a park." Spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the analogy, calling the conflict "an existential issue" for Russia, and "a question of our security... the future of our country."

It remains unclear how far the Trump–Musk feud will go. While Trump appears focused on pushing his domestic agenda through Congress, Musk’s repeated social media broadsides — and hints at deeper secrets — suggest the conflict may only intensify.

And with Russia now inserting itself into the story, what began as a budget dispute has become an international spectacle — one with real political and diplomatic consequences.

Sources: CNN, Newsweek, The Kyiv Independent