WASHINGTON, June 8. /TASS/. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and entrepreneur Elon Musk who until recently was in charge of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had a fistfight in the White House in April, the Washington Post reported, citing Stephen K. Bannon, the influential right-wing podcaster and longtime political adviser to US President Donald Trump.
According to the newspaper, "Musk’s brute-force tactics, lack of political acumen and ideological differences with the MAGA base eroded his relationship with top administration officials and eventually the president." However, "despite the tension, Trump and his deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, stuck by Musk’s side."
That said, оn April 2, when Trump "rolled out tariffs intended to remake the global economy, Musk took to X to express his displeasure with the levies," while "in private, Musk made personal appeals to Trump to reverse the tariffs. Trump did not comply, only relenting days later after a steep decline in bond markets."
In mid-April, disagreements over their preferences for acting Internal Revenue Service (IRS) commissioner led to a fistfight between Musk and Bessent. After they left the Oval Office, where Trump supported Bessent’s choice, the two men started to exchange insults with Musk ramming his shoulder into Bessent’s rib cage and Bessent hitting him back and calling him "a total fraud." According to Bannon, several people stepped in to break up the fight. Later, Trump commented on the incident, saying that "this is too much."
On June 5, Musk and Trump traded sharp accusations on social networks, with Musk saying that without his support, Trump would never have won the election in November 2024. He also spoke in favor of impeaching Trump, criticized his initiatives on import duties and reduced state spending, and predicted a recession for the American economy in the second half of 2025.
In turn, Trump said that Musk had stopped fulfilling his duties effectively when he led the DOGE and "just went crazy." He threatened to terminate government contracts with Musk’s companies, including SpaceX, and cancel all subsidies.