Elon Musk Goes Nuclear: Trump ‘Is in the Epstein Files’

“Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”

Elon Musk just leveled a stunning accusation against Donald Trump on Thursday, claiming he’s tied to the infamous Epstein files. The explosive claim came after a fiery back-and-forth online between the two power players.

After Trump took sharp jabs at Musk, both vocally and on Truth Social, Musk fired back with a message that detonated across the internet:

“Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That’s the real reason they haven’t been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!”

To understand what led to this dramatic development, we need to go back to earlier in the day, when Trump faced questions about Musk during a press conference on Capitol Hill.

President Trump was asked about Musk’s recent criticism of the “Big Beautiful Bill.” Hosting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump responded quickly, appearing caught off guard but unwilling to back down.

“I’ve always liked Elon,” Trump said. “So I was very surprised… He hasn’t said anything about me that’s bad.” He went on to defend the bill as “incredible” and “the biggest cut in the history of our country… about $1.6 trillion.” But then he pointed to what he described as the root of the fallout.

“Elon’s upset because we took the EV mandate,” Trump explained. “That was a lot of money for electric vehicles.” He suggested the disagreement was more about business than ideology, saying Musk had long known the mandate would be removed.

Musk wasted no time responding.

He posted, “Whatever,” followed by, “Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill.”

Trump later brought up another point of contention—Musk’s push to have billionaire Jared Isaacman nominated as NASA administrator. Trump said he declined the request.

“He recommended somebody that he, I guess, knew very well. I’m sure he respected him,” Trump said. “But I didn’t think it was appropriate.”

He noted that Isaacman was a Democrat and added, “We won. We get certain privileges. And one of the privileges is we don’t have to appoint a Democrat.”

He assured reporters that NASA would remain in steady hands, saying, “General Cain is going to be picking somebody.” The message was clear: Musk tried to influence a high-level appointment and Trump wasn’t willing to go along with it.

At one point, Trump shifted from explanation to reflection. “Remember, he was here for a long time. You saw a man who was very happy when he stood behind the Oval Desk.”

Then came a notable change in tone. “Look, Elon and I had a great relationship,” Trump said. “I don’t know if we will anymore.” The past tense stood out. It sounded like someone working through a falling-out in real time.

Trump recalled better moments, including Musk’s support during his campaign. “He said wonderful things about me. You couldn’t have said nicer—said the best things.” He added, “He’s worn the hat, ‘Trump Was Right About Everything.’”

But the president made it clear that, despite their history, he didn’t believe he needed Musk’s support.

“I think I would have won,” he said. “Susie would say I would have won Pennsylvania easily anyway.” He doubled down, saying, “If they picked him, I would have won Pennsylvania. I won it by a lot.”

Trump emphasized that while he had appreciated Musk’s endorsement, it wasn’t essential. He expressed disappointment, particularly because he believed Musk had understood the details of the bill better than most.

“He knew everything about it,” Trump said. “He had no problem with it. All of a sudden he had a problem—when he found out we’re going to have to cut the EV mandate.”

Musk fired back again, this time pushing the stakes even higher. “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,” he added.

Musk also rejected Trump’s claim that he knew the bill’s contents.

“False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!”

Back in the Oval Office, Trump’s tone grew more somber. “He hasn’t said bad about me personally,” he said. “But I’m sure that’ll be next.” Then came the confirmation: “I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot.”

Asked whether Musk had raised concerns in private before going public, Trump replied simply, “No.” Still, he acknowledged Musk’s contributions, saying, “He worked hard and he did a good job.”

Then he offered a personal insight: “I think he misses the place. He got out there, and all of a sudden he wasn’t in this beautiful Oval Office. And he was. And he’s got nice offices too. But there’s something about this one.”

The press conference closed, but the story didn’t.

Trump later posted on Truth Social: “Elon was ‘wearing thin,’ I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!”

He followed with another post:

“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”

That’s when Elon Musk blew up the internet with this response:

“Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That’s the real reason they haven’t been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!”

Musk added, “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”

SUMMARY

1.) Trump confirmed the breakup and used the past tense to describe their relationship.

• He said, “Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore,” signaling a clear end to their alliance.

2.) Trump accused Musk of being upset over losing billions in EV subsidies.

• He claimed Musk’s criticism of the Big Beautiful Bill was financially motivated—not ideological.

3.) Musk immediately fired back on X and called Trump’s claims false.

• He said he was never shown the bill, called Trump ungrateful, and defended the EV/solar incentives while blasting the “disgusting pork.”

4.) Trump revealed Musk tried to get Democrat Jared Isaacman nominated to lead NASA.

5.) Trump added he didn’t need Musk to win and would’ve taken Pennsylvania without him.

• In response, Musk claimed that without his backing, Trump would have lost the election, and Democrats would control Congress.

6.) Trump took off the gloves and posted on Truth Social:

• He said, “Elon was ‘wearing thin,’ I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!”

7.) That’s when Elon blew everything up.

• He responded, “Time to drop the really big bomb:@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That’s the real reason they haven’t been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!”

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This story is still unfolding. We’re tracking every update in real time. Bookmark this post and come back to it later. Also, share it with a friend who needs a quick catch-up.

There’s no reversing what’s been said. Stay tuned—this story is just beginning.

UPDATE #1: At 4:09 PM Eastern, Elon Musk writes:

“In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.”

This announcement followed President Trump’s earlier threat to terminate federal subsidies and contracts with Musk’s companies, including SpaceX and Tesla.

UPDATE #2: Elon quote-tweets a post linking Trump to Jeffrey Epstein with a raised eyebrow emoji.

The post claims Trump flew on Epstein’s plane at least 7 times, though there’s no proof he visited the island.

It also highlights a 2002 New York Magazine quote where Trump described Epstein as “a terrific guy” who “likes beautiful women… on the younger side.”

(See image for full quote)

UPDATE #3: Trump responds to Elon publicly attacking him, saying:

“I don’t mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. It’s a Record Cut in Expenses—$1.6 Trillion Dollars—and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesn’t pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that. I didn’t create this mess—I’m just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

UPDATE #4: At 4:43 PM Eastern, Elon Musk drops another raised eyebrow emoji—this time on a post by @chesschick01 that reads:

“In 1992 Trump partied with Jeffrey Epstein. Just gonna leave this here:”

UPDATE #5: Elon Musk replies “Yes” to a post by @stillgray that reads:

“President vs Elon. Who wins? My money’s on Elon.

Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should replace him.”

UPDATE #6: Nicole Shanahan agrees with Musk on the need for a “new political party” that “actually represents the 80% in the middle.”

She responded to Musk’s post, saying, “Yes. I’m so sick and tired of the bait and switch BS. America is not a piggy bank that you can keep smashing open and expect it to function.”

UPDATE #7: Jesse Watters says Elon Musk doesn’t actually know if Trump is in the Epstein files.

“No one knows what the list is. He didn’t know.”

Watters added the Trump–Musk feud is like a roommate squabble.

“These guys are like roommates. They were living in close quarters for, like, the first six months of the year. They’re just blowing off steam. The issue is donor maintenance. This guy’s the mega donor. So? So you don’t want him accusing you of being a pedophile, and you don’t want him calling for your impeachment.”

Still, Watters tried to strike a hopeful note.

“I hope he [Musk] doesn’t mean that [Trump’s impeachment], but maybe they can patch things up. I mean, Vance called Trump Hitler, and he’s on the ticket.”

UPDATE #8: Elon Musk appears to be relenting—at least partially.

He just reposted a message that urges compromise and reads:

“Elon’s stance is principled. Trump’s stance is practical. Tech needs Republicans for the present. Republicans need Tech for the future. Drop the tax cuts, cut some pork, get the bill through.”