Billionaire Elon Musk and president Donald Trump's long, balmy honeymoon may finally be coming to a close.
Over the weekend, Musk lashed out at the architect of Trump's catastrophic tariff policy, which has ravaged international markets and stoked fears of an imminent recession.
In a tweet, Musk took aim at Trump's advisor on trade and manufacturing, Peter Navarro — a proxy for Trump himself, who continues to stand for his draconian tariffs even as the stock market slides precipitously.
"A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing," the mercurial CEO tweeted, replying to a clip of Navarro telling CNN that the tariffs were somehow justified. "Results in the ego/brains>>1 problem."
Navarro spent four months in jail last year for contempt of Congress.
Meanwhile, Musk attended a meeting with Italian right-wing populist political party Lega over a video link, claiming that he'd like to see a "zero-tariff situation" and a "free trade zone" between Europe and the US, as Business Insider reports.
"If people wish to work in Europe or wish to work in North America, they should be allowed to do so, in my view," Musk said.
In other words, Trump's ruinous economic policy appears to be putting a major strain on his relationship with his once-closest ally. After all, the president's unjustified "reciprocal" tariffs have been disastrous for business — and that's putting it lightly.
Musk's businesses likely won't be spared, either. Massively rising costs are bound to put pressure on the firms, including Tesla, which heavily relies on foreign supply lines. The company's shares are down nearly six percent already this morning.
Tesla is already in crisis mode, with Musk's abhorrent behavior putting major downward pressure on his firm's financials. The company's sales are tanking as consumers are becoming increasingly fed up with the billionaire's extremist views and indiscriminate ransacking of the federal government.
As it all goes down, the EV maker's investors have accused Musk of abandoning them to spend more time gutting government agencies with the help of his so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
Whether Trump and Musk's relationship will weather this storm of epic proportions remains to be seen. The White House, for one, appears to be keen to stay in the entrepreneur's good graces, even after he hangs up his hat as a "special government employee" in a "few months," according to Trump.
"Elon Musk and President Trump have both publicly stated that Elon will depart from public service as a special government employee when his incredible work at DOGE is complete," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt tweeted last week.
Leavitt was responding to Politico reporting last week that Trump had informed his inner circle that Musk will soon hang up his coat as his number one hatchet man.
Could the latest news be what breaks the uneasy alliance between Musk and Trump?
In the absence of a major reversal in the president's chaotic trade policy, Musk's businesses are likely to continue to face a brutal bear market, an uncertain fate that's likely leading to some heated conversations behind the scenes.
And Navarro, for his part, is responding with a patronizing tone.
"Look, Elon, when he's in his DOGE lane, he's great. But we understand what's going on here. We just have to understand. Elon sells cars," he said on Fox over the weekend. "And he's simply protecting his own interests as any business person would do."
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