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When Donald Trump met privately with White House officials on Wednesday, there was little to suggest that the U.S. president was close to a public break with Elon Musk, the billionaire businessman who helped him win a second term in office.

Two White House officials familiar with the matter said Mr. Trump expressed confusion and frustration in the meeting about Mr. Musk鈥檚 attacks on his sweeping tax and spending bill. But he held back, the officials said, because he wanted to preserve Mr. Musk鈥檚 political and financial support ahead of the midterm elections.

By Thursday afternoon, Mr. Trump鈥檚 mood had shifted. He had not spoken to Mr. Musk since the attacks began and was fuming over what one White House aide described as a 鈥渃ompletely [expletive]鈥� tirade by the Tesla CEO on X, his social media platform.

Mr. Musk had blasted Mr. Trump鈥檚 tax bill as fiscally reckless and a 鈥渄isgusting abomination.鈥� He vowed to oppose any Republican lawmaker who supported it. The bill would fulfill many of Mr. Trump鈥檚 priorities while adding, according to the Congressional Budget Office, $2.4 trillion to the $36.2-trillion U.S. public debt.

Privately, Mr. Trump had called Mr. Musk volatile. On Thursday, he told his team, it was time to take the gloves off.

Sitting next to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump told reporters he was 鈥渧ery disappointed鈥� in his former adviser. Mr. Musk quickly hit back on social media, and the back-and-forth devolved from there.

鈥淭he easiest way to save money in our budget, billions and billions of dollars, is to terminate Elon鈥檚 government subsidies and contracts,鈥� Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social, his social media site.

Within minutes, Mr. Musk said it might be time to create a new political party and endorsed a post on X from Ian Miles Cheong, a prominent Musk supporter and right-wing activist, calling for Mr. Trump鈥檚 impeachment.

The Trump-Musk relationship at its height was unprecedented in Washington 鈥� a sitting president granting a billionaire tech CEO access and influence inside the White House and throughout his government. Mr. Musk spent nearly $300 million backing Mr. Trump鈥檚 campaign and other Republicans last year.

For months, Mr. Musk played both insider and disruptor 鈥� shaping policy conversations behind the scenes, amplifying Mr. Trump鈥檚 agenda to millions online, and attacking the bureaucracy and federal spending through his self-styled Department of Government Efficiency.

Just last week, Mr. Trump hosted a farewell for Mr. Musk and declared that 鈥淓lon is really not leaving.鈥�

Now he had not only left but had turned into a top critic. Hours after Trump鈥檚 Oval Office remarks, a third White House official expressed surprise at Mr. Musk鈥檚 turnaround. It 鈥渃aught the president and the entire West Wing off guard,鈥� she said.

Mr. Musk did not respond to emails seeking comment about the downturn in relations. His super PAC spending group, America PAC, and spokeswoman Katie Miller did not respond to calls and texts requesting comment.

In a statement, the White House called the breakup an 鈥渦nfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted.鈥�

From allies to adversaries

The Musk-Trump breakup sent Tesla鈥檚 stock price plunging 14% on Thursday and drove uncertainty among Mr. Trump鈥檚 allies in Congress, who are working to pass the monumental spending package that Democrats and a small number of vocal Republicans oppose.

The breakup could reshape both men鈥檚 futures. For Mr. Trump, losing Mr. Musk鈥檚 backing threatens his growing influence among tech donors, social media audiences, and younger male voters 鈥� key groups that may now be harder to reach. It could also complicate fundraising ahead of next year鈥檚 midterm elections.

For Mr. Musk, the stakes are potentially even higher. The break risks intensified scrutiny of his business practices that could jeopardize government contracts and invite regulatory probes, which might threaten his companies鈥� profits.

Some of Mr. Musk鈥檚 friends and associates were stunned by the fallout, with a number of them only recently expressing confidence that the partnership would endure, according to two other sources familiar with the dynamics.

The split had been simmering for weeks, said the first two White House officials, but the breaking point was over personnel: Mr. Trump鈥檚 decision to pull his nomination of Jared Isaacman, Mr. Musk鈥檚 hand-picked candidate to be NASA administrator.

鈥淗e was not happy鈥� about Mr. Isaacman, one of the White House officials said of Mr. Musk.

Mr. Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur and close Musk ally, was seen as key to advancing Musk鈥檚 vision for space exploration and commercial space ventures. After his nomination was scuttled, Mr. Isaacman posted on X: 鈥淚 am incredibly grateful to President Trump, the Senate and all those who supported me.鈥�

The move was viewed within the administration as a direct snub to Mr. Musk, the two officials said, signaling a loss of political clout and deepening the rift between him and Mr. Trump鈥檚 team.

Before the Isaacman episode, top White House aides behind the scenes had already begun limiting Mr. Musk鈥檚 influence 鈥� quietly walking back his authority over staffing and budget decisions. Mr. Trump himself reinforced that message in early March, telling his cabinet that department secretaries, not Mr. Musk, had the final say over agency operations.

At the same time, Mr. Musk began to hint that his time in government would come to a close, while expressing frustration at times that he could not cut spending more aggressively.

His threats and complaints about Mr. Trump鈥檚 bill grew louder, but inside the White House, few believed they would seriously alter the course of the legislation 鈥� even as some worried about the fallout on the midterms from Mr. Musk鈥檚 warnings to cut political spending, the first two White House officials said.

Still, a fourth White House official dismissed the impact of Mr. Musk鈥檚 words on the president鈥檚 signature bill.

鈥淲e鈥檙e very confident,鈥� he said. 鈥淣o one has changed their minds.鈥�

But there was bafflement at the White House at how a relationship that only last week had been celebrated in the Oval Office had taken such a turn.

Time will tell whether the rift can be repaired.

A separate White House official said aides had scheduled a call between the two men on Friday. The official did not give a time for the call.

This story was reported by Reuters.