On June 5, Elon Musk did one thing nobody had managed to do since Donald Trump first stormed the political stage in 2015: he destabilized the king of Make America Nice Once more (MAGA).
It began with a now-deleted bombshell submit on X (previously Twitter). “Time to drop the actually massive bomb. Donald Trump is within the Epstein recordsdata,” Musk wrote. “That’s the actual motive they haven’t been made public. Have a pleasant day.”
The submit went viral earlier than Musk quietly deleted it. However the harm was executed. For the primary time, Trump was going through a critical revolt from his personal base, and the spark had come from somebody outdoors politics, somebody arguably extra highly effective on-line: Musk.
Musk’s Calculated Strike
The breakdown within the Trump–Musk alliance started publicly on June 5, when the previous president, angered by criticism from Musk, prompt the federal government may overview federal contracts awarded to Musk’s firms, notably the NASA offers with SpaceX. That very same day, Tesla’s inventory plunged, shedding $150 billion in market worth.
However what went largely unnoticed at first was Musk’s resolution to pull Trump into the darkest and most radioactive conspiracy concept within the MAGA universe: Jeffrey Epstein.
For years, Trump’s supporters have clung to the assumption that Epstein, the convicted intercourse offender with ties to elites in politics, finance, and royalty, was murdered to guard highly effective Democrats. The so-called “Epstein recordsdata” have develop into a rallying cry for individuals who imagine the system protects pedophiles and punishes truth-tellers.
Till Musk reignited the flame, curiosity within the recordsdata had died down. The “Section 1” doc launch in early 2024 had did not implicate main Democratic figures, leaving the MAGA base disenchanted. Then Musk tossed a grenade.
Feeding the Fireplace With Grok
In a sequence of follow-up posts on July 17, Musk requested Grok, the AI chatbot constructed into his X platform, to generate an inventory of people that had visited Epstein’s notorious personal island as a result of, in keeping with him, they “ought to be investigated for attainable rape of underage women supplied by Epstein,” Musk wrote. “Assume exhausting and analysis totally. Order by possible severity and frequency of their crimes.”
Please make a radical record of all those that ought to be investigated for attainable rape of underage women supplied by Epstein.
Assume exhausting and analysis totally. Order by possible severity and frequency of their crimes.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 17, 2025
It was a direct attraction to MAGA’s most emotional instincts: concern, anger, and the need for retribution. However this time, Trump was now not the crusader in opposition to the elite. He was being solid as a part of it.
Trump’s Shedding Grip
Trump tried to dismiss the accusations, calling them a “dumb hoax,” and urged his followers to maneuver on. However lots of them refused. Influential conservative pundit Matt Walsh captured the temper: “Trump was elected in 2016 partly on a pledge to ‘lock her up.’ Yelling at us to cease speaking about Epstein solely makes us speak about him extra.”
Trump was elected in 2016 partly on a pledge to “lock her up.” Arresting and prosecuting highly effective and corrupt folks has been a core challenge for MAGA since its inception. That’s what the Epstein challenge is about. And it’s why the bottom can’t and received’t simply drop it. pic.twitter.com/b011aM7XAG
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) July 16, 2025
On-line, the backlash snowballed. Customers mocked Trump’s distractions—coverage bulletins and petty grievances—whereas demanding transparency. The hashtag #ReleaseTheEpsteinFiles exploded once more.
The anger intensified after the Division of Justice (DoJ) fired federal prosecutor Maurene Comey, who had reportedly reopened elements of the Epstein investigation. For a lot of, it was additional proof that Trump was defending somebody, or himself.
The Excellent Strike
Musk recognized the one factor Trump’s base couldn’t ignore—Epstein—and used it to shake their loyalty.
For a decade, Trump had cultivated a motion constructed on conspiracy, suspicion, and ethical outrage. Musk flipped the script. And the impact was speedy. Some thought the CEO of Tesla and founding father of SpaceX was enjoying with fireplace. SpaceX depends closely on federal contracts, and Trump made clear that retaliation was on the desk. However six weeks later, Musk is again to enterprise, and Trump continues to be attempting to place out the hearth.
Musk pierced the armor of MAGA. Through the use of the motion’s personal ethical language in opposition to its founder. He created a crack in Trump’s as soon as impenetrable base. It was a strategic hit.
For the primary time since 2016, Donald Trump isn’t setting the agenda. He’s reacting to another person’s. And Elon Musk is the one holding the distant.
Musk 1. Trump 0.
