Elon Musk Reportedly Had a ‘Massive Blowup’ With a Trump Adviser

Since Donald Trump‘s election win two weeks ago, megadonor Elon Musk has stuck close to the president-elect, whether sharing an airborne McDonald’s meal, taking in an Ultimate Fighting Championship event from ringside seats, or just hanging around Mar-a-Lago for days at a time. Throughout the bromance, Musk has sought direct (though unofficial) influence over the White House transition, listening in on Trump’s calls with foreign leaders and weighing in on cabinet appointments while gearing up to slash federal agencies as head of a new “efficiency” office named after an old Reddit meme.

This level of involvement has, predictably, rankled some in Trump’s orbit as they vie for his attention. The internal hostilities has so far resulted in at least one “massive blowup” or “huge explosion” at a Mar-a-Lago dinner last week, according to sources who spoke to Axios. Musk’s heated exchange was with Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn, who has also consulted Tump on his Cabinet picks and backed former Rep. Matt Gaetz for Attorney General — a selection that drew immediate attention to a House Ethics Committee investigation into Gaetz over alleged sex crimes. (Gaetz resigned from Congress before the committee could release its report.)

Musk, according to Axios’ sources, has second-guessed Epshteyn’s recommendations, particularly around staffing the Justice Department and assembling White House counsel. The two eventually erupted into tense face-off in front of other Mar-a-Lago guests last Wednesday, with Musk accusing Epshteyn of leaking details about the Trump transition to the press, and Epshteyn protesting that he had no idea what Musk was alluding to. Musk has since gone public with his preferred choice for Treasury Secretary — Trump transition co-chair Howard Lutnick — arguing that he is a better choice than another leading contender, hedge fund manager Scott Bessent. His highly visible endorsement on X (formerly Twitter) indicates a continued power struggle over the position.

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While Musk has his share of allies close to Trump — including sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr., as well as Vice President-elect J.D. Vance — other prominent advisers and donors have expressed frustration with Musk before. Some, for instance, had worried that Musk’s disorganized get-out-the-vote efforts through his Super PAC, America PAC, could cost Trump dearly in swing states. Now that Trump has won, they’ve been irritated by Musk’s continued involvement in political strategizing. “He’s behaving as if he’s a co-president and making sure everyone knows it,” a longstanding member of Trump’s inner circle told NBC News during Musk’s extended stay at Mar-a-Lago following the election. They added that the billionaire kept bragging about America PAC and “taking lots of credit for the president’s victory,” which had rubbed some the wrong way.

“People are not happy,” an individual in touch with the campaign additionally told The Washington Post about Musk’s efforts to shape the Cabinet and impulsive social media posts regarding the transition and economic policy. The Tesla CEO, for example, on Saturday praised Argentina President Javier Milei for moving to cut import tariffs, whereas Trump has repeatedly promised to raise such tariffs in the U.S.

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Trump, for his part, has continued to include and praise Musk, even while joking in public remarks that he “can’t get him out of” Mar-a-Lago. And with Musk’s promise to keep America PAC operating in order to increase registration of Republican voters through the 2026 midterms, it would seem that he can remain useful to the MAGA cause for years to come. Yet both men are known to crave the spotlight, and a falling out may come not for reasons of political expediency but pure ego. As The New York Times reported, Musk in recent days entered the dining room at Mar-a-Lago about half an hour after Trump and received a “similar standing ovation” as the president-elect.

Too much of that kind of thing could easily sour Trump on Musk, particularly as he prepares to move his team into the Oval Office. But until the world’s richest man oversteps his role in a way that offends the equally capricious Trump, the advisers annoyed by his presence will have to worth with or around him.