He was once Trump's biggest supporter, but now, Elon Musk has been highly critical of the president since he left his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency back in May.
When the world's richest man isn't slamming the Trump administration's Big Beautiful Bill, he's using his platform X, formerly Twitter, to pile pressure on the government to release the Epstein files.
It comes after a memo was released by the Justice Department and the FBI stating that Epstein’s death in his jail cell was suicide, and added that there was no evidence of a client list.
And Musk is not alone, as Trump's stance on the matter is dividing his previously loyal MAGA base, with calls on Attorney General Pam Bondi to be fired.
However, the president has remained steadfast, taking to Truth Social to defend Bondi, who he says has been doing a "fantastic job" and expressed his annoyance at the attention the Epstein files are getting and that “people are still talking about this creep”.
But like a thorn in Trump's side, it appears Musk isn't going away anytime soon - in fact, he's been posting and reposting criticisms of Trump's handling of the Epstein files - more than 35 times, as per ABC News.
What has Musk said about the Epstein files?
After their very public falling out following his departure from DOGE, Musk took to X and claimed in a since-deleted post that Trump's name appeared in the Epstein files, hence why the documents weren't being released, but later said he "went too far" with this post.
That being said, the SpaceX and Tesla CEO is back to denouncing Trump, taking aim at how he is handling the matter - "The old: 1. Admit nothing 2. Deny everything 3. Make counterclaims. But it won’t work this time," he wrote.
"Wow I can’t believe Epstein killed himself before realizing it was all a hoax," Musk said in another post after Trump referred to the issue as the "Epstein Hoax.
He also responded to another user, where he declared, "It’s a cover up (obviously)." Then the day before, he wrote about how "So many powerful people want that list suppressed."
Musk also shared, "Wow, amazing that Epstein 'killed himself' and Ghislaine is in federal prison for a hoax," in reference to Ghislaine Maxwell, a socialite who is currently serving a 20-year prison term after being found guilty of recruiting and trafficking underage girls for Epstein.
There's even more, as Musk reposted a photo of the binders that the Attorney General passed out to MAGA influencers at the White House in February that were labelled "Epstein files: Phase 1."
To which Musk questioned, "Where is 'Phase 2'?
He's even involved his own Grok AI chatbot, as he asked it, "Would that mean the government right now -- as we speak -- knows the names & ages of all those who traveled on Epstein’s plane?"
"Yes, the DOJ and FAA hold extensive passenger manifests and flight logs from Epstein's jets," Grok responded.
Some of these criticisms also include the conspiracy theories about the existence of an Epstein "client list," which the DoJ and FBI said in their memo this list does not exist.
Has Trump responded to Musk's criticisms?
Trump hasn't directly responded to Musk's recent criticisms over his handling of the Epstein files, but his latest comments about his former friend and ally made it clear there's no love lost between them.
"I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely 'off the rails,' essentially becoming a train wreck over the past five weeks," Trump said in a Truth Social post on July 6, after learning Musk's plans to form his own political party called the America Party.
It's a far cry from their days on the campaign trail together, where Musk donated a whopping $290 million to Trump and MAGA allies during the 2024 presidential election.
How times have changed.
What has the White House said?
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt similarly has not directly commented on Musk's criticisms of the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files.
However, she did respond to a question about whether she had been in contact with any conservative influencers who have called into question how the Epstein files have been handled.
"The president and this team are always in contact with the president’s supporters, with voices of many kinds on both sides of the aisle," Leavitt said.
"But, ultimately, he has led this country not just over the past six months to historic success, but also through his first four years as president ... and as I always say, the American people should trust in President Trump."
Unfortunately for the Trump administration, it looks like this matter isn't going away anytime soon - at least if Musk has anything to do with it...
Elsewhere, Elon Musk just saw right through Trump’s Epstein tactics, and Elon Musk points out awkward contradiction in Trump’s Epstein rant.
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