Key Points
- Musk alleges Trump linked to unreleased Epstein Files
- Trump says he has no intention of speaking to Musk
WASHINGTON: Tech billionaire Elon Musk has deleted an explosive allegation linking Donald Trump with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein that he posted on social media during a vicious public fallout with the US president this week.
Musk – who just exited his role as a top White House advisor – alleged on Thursday that the Republican leader is featured in unreleased government files on former associates of Epstein, according to AFP.
The Trump administration has acknowledged it is reviewing tens of thousands of documents, videos and investigative material that his “MAGA” movement says will unmask public figures complicit in Epstein’s crimes.
Trump was named in a trove of deposition and statements linked to Epstein that were unsealed by a New York judge in early 2024. The president has not been accused of any wrongdoing in the case.
Dropping big bomb
“Time to drop the really big bomb: (Trump) is in the Epstein files,” Musk posted on his social media platform, X as his growing feud with the president boiled over into a spectacularly public row.
“That is the real reason they have not been made public.”
Musk did not reveal which files he was talking about and offered no evidence for his claim.
He initially doubled down on the claim, writing in a follow-up message: “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”
However, he appeared to have deleted both tweets by Saturday morning, according to AFP.
DOGE
They point the finger at Democrats and Hollywood celebrities, although not at Trump himself.
Just last week, Trump gave Musk a glowing send-off as he left his cost-cutting role at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Imploding relationship
But their relationship imploded within days as Musk described as an “abomination” a spending bill that, if passed by Congress, could define Trump’s second term in office.
Trump hit back in an Oval Office diatribe and from there the row detonated, leaving Washington and riveted social media users alike stunned by the blistering break-up between the world’s richest person and the world’s most powerful, according to the BBC.
With real political and economic risks to their row, both then appeared to inch back from the brink on Friday, with Trump telling reporters “I just wish him well,” and Musk responding on X: “Likewise.”
But the White House denied reports they would talk.
President Donald Trump has said that he has “no intention” of speaking to Elon Musk following their public blowup over the Republican spending package up for debate in Congress, according to the Independent.
