WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Thursday escalated his public feud with Elon Musk, threatening to cut the billionaire’s government contracts.

Trump suggested he would use the power of the U.S. government to financially hurt Musk’s companies, including SpaceX and Starlink.

The bitter fallout came shortly after a White House meeting where Trump first raised the issue with Germany’s new leader. This breakup follows their recent joint appearance at the White House, where Trump had publicly thanked Musk for his short, turbulent stint working with the government.

Trump had mostly stayed quiet as Musk vented his frustrations on his social platform X, criticizing the president’s signature tax cuts and spending policies. On Thursday, Trump broke his silence in the Oval Office, expressing disappointment in Musk and lamenting the collapse of their relationship.

Musk quickly responded in real time on social media. Trump then took to his own platform, Truth Social, to threaten Musk with termination of billions of dollars in government subsidies and contracts. Musk fired back on X with a defiant “Go ahead, make my day.”

The escalating conflict unfolded publicly and quickly — much like how their alliance began. What started as a bromance between two powerful figures has now deteriorated into an acrimonious clash, played out for all to see on social media.