PoliticsDonald Trump's Fallout With Elon Musk Was 'Very Troublesome,' White House Chief of Staff Reveals: 'Was Going to Blow Up at Some Point'
The White House Chief of Staff confirmed Donald Trump's fallout with Elon Musk was 'very troublesome.'
July 10 2025, Published 7:00 a.m. ET
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles claimed the fallout between Donald Trump and Elon Musk was “very troublesome” — but was only a “little hiccup” for Trump’s administration.
Speaking on the “Pod Force One” podcast, Wiles agreed with host Miranda Devine’s assertion that the Tesla head honcho had a “sort of fatherly fixation with Donald Trump that I guess inevitably was going to blow up at some point.”
'Not a Good Ending'
Susie Wiles said Elon Musk's ending at the White House was 'not good.'
“The president was very, very kind to him, and Elon had so much to offer us,” Wiles shared. “He knew things we didn’t know. He knew people and technologies that we didn’t know. It was a great thing when it was a great thing, and had a very, I think, a very troublesome ending.”
When asked why Musk and Trump’s close bond fell apart, Wiles insisted she didn’t know and didn’t “understand" what went wrong.
“I enjoyed working with Elon,” she said. “I think he’s a fascinating person and sees the world differently. And I think that’s probably what the president saw, too. [He’s] just a little bit different than the average Joe, but certainly [it] came to not a good ending.”
'The World's Smartest Man'
Susie Wiles called Elon Musk 'the world's smartest man.'
She described Musk as “the world’s smartest man,” as he offered input about “business and organizations and government and insight into people that were really important, I think, in the very early days, particularly during [the] transition.”
As far as the notion Musk is acting out of jealousy, Wiles denied that, saying it “doesn’t sound” like him.
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'Train Wreck'
Elon Musk accused Donald Trump of being in the Epstein files.
As OK! reported, after departing his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk went after Trump on X, leading the latter to lash out at the billionaire.
Musk also accused Trump of being in the Epstein files.
Although their feud settled down for a bit, it has recently been reignited, with Musk calling for a third political party: the America Party.
Trump responded with an explosive post on Truth Social, writing, “I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely ‘off the rails,’ essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks.”
'A Third Political Party'
Donald Trump slammed Elon Musk as a 'trian wreck.'
“He even wants to start a Third Political Party," Trump shared, "despite the fact that they have never succeeded in the United States - The System seems not designed for them. The one thing Third Parties are good for is the creation of Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS, and we have enough of that with the Radical Left Democrats, who have lost their confidence and their minds! Republicans, on the other hand, are a smooth running ‘machine that just passed the biggest Bill of its kind in the History of our Country.”
Trump explained his “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” is a “great bill,” but it hurts Musk, as it eliminates the Electric Vehicle Mandate.
Trump also insisted Musk wanted one of his close friends to run NASA, but the former found it “inappropriate” since the latter is in the space business.
