A Timeline Of Donald Trump And Elon Musk's Bromance

Elon Musk is now officially the "First Buddy" to U.S. President-elect, Donald Trump. But while their partnership is exciting for some, others believe the friendship between the reality TV star-turned-politician and the "nightmare" billionaire won't last long. The latter was a vocal critic of Trump 1.0. Even as they renew their collaboration in Trump 2.0, Time magazine noted that they are both "willful, impulsive, and accustomed to being in charge." Tensions are inevitable.

Aside from those mutual traits, Elon—who acquired Twitter (now known as X) in 2022—also shares similar scandals with Donald, including workplace sexual misconduct lawsuits. Both of them also own social media platforms. Of course, those are not enough to keep their bond strong. So will their individual ambitions get in the way of their business/government team-up as experts predict? Here's a timeline of their on-and-off bromance.

1 2017: Elon Musk Left Donald Trump's Advisory Councils Over The Latter's Stance On Climate Change

Elon Musk Sided With Joe Biden At One Point

In June 2017, Elon stepped down from two of Donald's advisory councils—the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative and the Strategic and Policy Forum—after the U.S. withdrew from the Paris climate agreement. "[I] Am departing presidential councils. Climate change is real," the Tesla CEO wrote on X (then Twitter). "Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world." Months before that, Elon drew flak for his involvement with the Trump administration. He then explained:

"My goals are to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy and to help make humanity a multi-planet civilization, a consequence of which will be the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs and a more inspiring future for all."

Fast-forward to January 2021, Elon expressed his support for Joe Biden's plans to "double down on federal investments and enhance tax incentives" for environmental initiatives, which the former called "great" for the "future of sustainable energy." Unfortunately, Elon and Joe's relationship quickly soured after Tesla wasn't invited to the latter's White House electric vehicle summit in August 2021.

"Yeah, seems odd that Tesla wasn't invited," Elon tweeted back then. As it turned out, Tesla might have been snubbed at Joe's White House event as the United Auto Workers union was there. They have been fighting to unionize Tesla workers at the company's Fremont plant in California. A year later, Elon tweeted that he"[supports] the left half of the Republican Party and the right half of the Democratic Party."

2 2020: Elon Musk Commended Donald Trump's Business-Driven Decisions During The Pandemic

Donald Trump Called Elon Musk A "Genius" Months Before The Covid Lockdowns

By January 2020, Elon and Donald were on speaking terms. The latter called the Neuralink founder a "genius" after Tesla exceeded Ford and GM's worth. The Apprentice alum said he had recently spoken to the businessman, who deserved "credit" for Tesla's achievement.

Donald added that Elon must be "protected" like Thomas Edison, who invented several groundbreaking technologies, including the light bulb. In return, the "genius" billionaire later commended the Trump administration for its controversial, business-driven Covid response.

3 2022: Elon Musk Said Donald Trump Was "Too Old" To Be POTUS

Elon Musk Was On The Fence About Donald Trump's 2024 Presidential Run

Two years before supporting Trump 2.0, Elon posted a series of tweets saying The Donald was "too old" to be POTUS again. "I don't hate the man, but it's time for Trump to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset," he wrote in July 2022. He even suggested that the "Dems should also call off the attack" and "don't make it so that Trump's only way to survive is to regain presidency."

Trump would be 82 at the end of the term, which is too old to be chief executive of anything, let alone the United States of America.

The tirades came after Donald took credit for Elon's fortune and even mocked his ventures. The former said the latter just makes "driverless cars that crash" and "rocketships to nowhere" alongside his "perhaps worthless" acquisition of Twitter. After Elon's clapback, Donald reminded people that the PayPal co-founder called himself "a big Trump fan and Republican." Elon denied telling Donald that he had voted for him.

4 July 2024: Elon Musk Endorsed Donald Trump During The Presidential Election

Elon Musk Made A Generous Donation To Donald Trump's Campaign

After the first assassination attempt on Donald during his 2024 presidential campaign, Elon announced on X: "I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery." The xAI founder then spent about $119 million on a political action committee (PAC) to help make Trump 2.0 possible.

While Elon's businesses are thriving amid his early Trump 2.0 support, many fear the boost won't last that long. Time magazine's Simon Shuster stated that "in the end, the durability of their partnership may depend on Musk's motives: What drove him to become a MAGA prophet in the first place? If it was money he wanted, then mission accomplished."

But that may pose conflicts between Elon's businesses and investors. Wedbush Securities analyst, Dan Ives told CNN that "the benefits of Musk's involvement in Trump's government outweigh the negatives." He further explained that "Tesla investors want Musk more involved in the Trump White House–not less–because of his influence on advancing AI, China tariffs and fast-tracking autonomous driving regulations." The same cannot be said about X users (at least not entirely).

5 November 2024: Donald Trump Appointed Elon Musk As Leader Of Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

Donald Trump And Elon Musk Have Been Spotted At Numerous Events Together

Amid the Trump bump on his ventures, Elon was appointed to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside biotech billionaire, Vivek Ramaswamy. In his statement, the President-elect declared that the two entrepreneurs "will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies."

Donald Trump clarified that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will "provide advice and guidance from outside of government," removing any conflict of interest with their businesses.

Days later, Donald and Elon were spotted at the UFC 309 fight at Madison Garden on November 16. Three days later, the First Buddies went to Texas to watch the successful launch of the company's Starship rocket. Donald tweeted that it was the "largest object ever to be elevated" and even praised Elon and "the Great Patriots involved in this incredible project." "Rocketships to nowhere" who?

Elon and Donald were also filmed dancing to "YMCA" during Thanksgiving dinner with the Trump family at Mar-A-Lago. Actor Sylver Stallone and even Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, among other big names, were also present to enjoy "a lavish buffet with turkey and all the fixings, and literally everything else imaginable," said a Page Six source, who also shared that "fall-colored [arrangements] were on the table."