Elon Musk sparked the Trump Epstein Files scandal this week by publicly accusing US President Donald Trump of appearing in documents linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In a post on X, Musk claimed that Trump appears in the sealed Epstein files and implied that officials have kept them hidden for that very reason.
Political, economic, and reputational tensions have caused the two longtime allies’ policy disagreement to turn into a highly personal and public conflict.
Musk Drops the Bomb on Social Media
In a tweet, Musk stated, “Time to drop the massive bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.” Musk concluded the tweet with, “Have a nice day, DJT!”
Time to drop the really big bomb:@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.
Have a nice day, DJT!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025
Shortly afterwards, Musk added: “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.” The tweet immediately went viral, sparking a firestorm on social media and in political circles.
Trump’s Epstein Position Has Shifted
Trump previously promised transparency. Before the 2024 election, he claimed he would release all Epstein-related files. Last year, he denied any ties to the late financier. On TruthSocial, he posted, “I was never on Epstein’s plane or at his ‘stupid’ island. Lawmakers ought to develop strong laws against AI. It will be a big and very dangerous problem in the future!”
His message appeared to divert from the matter, mixing denial with a divorced threat about AI. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt replied Thursday evening. She called the tweet “an unfortunate chapter of Elon, who is dissatisfied with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not contain the policies he desired.” She said that the President was still committed to moving the bill forward and “making our country great again.”
Power, Policy, and Contracts
The confrontation followed Trump threatening to scrap federal contracts with Musk’s firms. He allegedly branded Musk as “crazy.” Musk retaliated by bashing Trump’s budget bill and asserted that Trump was beholden to him for his 2024 win.
The personal and political divide between two of the globe’s most influential figures is now out of the closet—with the Trump Epstein Files charge as the catalyst.
