Donald Trump and Elon Musk have transformed a petty social media feud into a policy circus with global consequences. As of July 1st, the antagonism between the two billionaires is both ongoing and escalating, with Trump publicly threatening to review federal subsidies for Musk’s companies, consider Musk’s deportation status, and—yes—activate the mysterious “DOGE,” the Department of Government Efficiency, against the Tesla CEO’s empire.
The conflict moved from snarky social media barbs to tangible policy threats after Musk criticized Trump’s administration over electric vehicle mandates and immigration enforcement. In response, Trump suggested he would “take a look” at whether to deport Musk, and doubled down on threats to slash subsidies for Musk-owned firms like Tesla and SpaceX, as covered by the Financial Times. Al Jazeera details Trump’s vow to “review subsidies on Musk-owned companies,” a move that would reverberate across the global tech sector.
But it was the DOGE reference—no, not the cryptocurrency, but the actual US “Department of Government Efficiency”—that gave the feud its surreal edge. As Sky News reported in a video segment, Trump declared he would “put DOGE on Musk,” leaving aides scrambling to explain whether this was an actual agency, an executive task force, or simply another Trumpian flourish for the cameras.
The spat comes at a time when Musk is increasing his own public attacks, calling for a new political party and claiming that Trump’s policies are “anti-innovation,” as noted by Sky News and The Independent. Meanwhile, Trump’s policy rhetoric has drifted from the outlandish to the authoritarian: floating the conversion of Alcatraz into a migrant detention center—complete with “dangerous wildlife”—and promising ever-harsher crackdowns on his political opponents and perceived enemies, according to Sky News.
The business implications are immediate. The Financial Times warns that federal contracts for Musk’s companies may be at risk if Trump follows through on his threats, potentially shaking up everything from EV markets to satellite launches. Musk’s response—by turns defiant and mocking—has only deepened the spectacle.
Meanwhile, Trump’s deployment of DOGE has sparked confusion and mockery in equal measure, with commentators struggling to confirm whether the agency exists in any meaningful form, or if it’s just another entry in Trump’s long list of bureaucratic inventions. The Guardian cites experts who openly question the legal plausibility of using DOGE to target an individual business leader, but acknowledges that in Trump’s America, political theater often trumps administrative logic.
As the feud dominates headlines, what started as a petty exchange between two ultra-rich egos now teeters on the edge of real policy change—proof, once again, that when power and spectacle collide, American governance becomes a spectator sport for the world. The only certainty: in 2025, no grudge is too small to become a national headline, and no agency—real or invented—is off the table.