Elon Musk Leaves the Trump Administration Over Spending Dispute

Last week, Elon Musk chose to resign from his position as a ‘special government employee’ tasked with reducing government spending, to focus more on his other ventures like SpaceX and Tesla. This decision was made after a disagreement in the White House about President Trump’s spending plans. Musk called these plans a “disgusting abomination” because they would raise the national debt and could even bankrupt the country.

Just months ago, Elon Musk and President Donald Trump were close political partners, as Musk had supported President Trump’s government campaigns. In fact, days before the fallout, Trump gave Musk a ‘golden key’, or an entry key to the white house, showing their strong friendship and collaboration. This did not last long as they had a dispute over government spendings, and Musk stepped down from his position.

The conflict didn’t end there, as President Trump was quick to retaliate. In a press conference, Trump accused Musk of acting out because his electric vehicle company, Tesla, was losing federal support. Trump even claimed that Musk “just went crazy!” Trump also threatened that he would cut government contracts that contain billions of dollars with Tesla and SpaceX.

Trump’s lack of support and funding for emerging green technologies is likely frustrating to Musk, who has been an advocate for a sustainable future. Trump even threatened to pull even more federal funding and end tax incentives towards these issues after their feud.

Elon Musk’s decision to quit his government role shows how strongly he disagrees with Trump’s budget and opinion on renewable energy. This change could soon lead to growing tensions between the technology and government industries in the near future.