The ongoing Musk vs Trump feud has taken a sharp new turn — and this time, it’s dragging NASA, electric vehicle tax credits, and one unlucky space billionaire right into the center of the drama.
Late last week, former President Donald Trump announced he had withdrawn the nomination of Jared Isaacman — the private astronaut and billionaire behind the all-civilian SpaceX mission Inspiration4 — from heading up NASA.
Why? Apparently, Elon Musk thought Isaacman was the guy for the job.
“I didn’t think it was appropriate,” Trump said on Thursday, explaining his decision. “He’s totally a Democrat.”
Ouch. That’s a direct hit, not just at Isaacman, but at Musk, who’s been publicly cozying up to conservative politics in recent years and was reportedly involved in advocating for Isaacman’s potential leadership role.
Trump’s jab arrives just days after Musk suddenly exited his informal advisory role in the U.S. government — a move that raised eyebrows among Washington insiders and Twitter junkies alike. Was Musk forced out? Did he walk? Either way, the gloves are clearly off now.
Enter the Body Double
Musk, never known for letting insults slide quietly, responded with the kind of flair only he can deliver — social media receipts and a spicy rhetorical burn.
Sharing screenshots of Trump’s own tweets from over a decade ago, Musk reminded followers that once upon a time, the MAGA king was actually a critic of reckless Republican spending.
“Where is the man who wrote these words?” Musk wrote.
“Was he replaced by a body double!?”
Yes, you read that right. Musk — the man who wants to colonize Mars — is now implying that Trump may have been body-swapped by some fiscally reckless imposter.
And Twitter, predictably, lost its mind.
It’s Billionaire vs. Billionaire — Again
This latest round of social sniping is more than just a celebrity feud. It’s a power struggle between two of the most influential figures in America’s techno-political landscape — and the stakes go far beyond mean tweets.
For starters, Musk has been increasingly vocal about his frustrations with federal EV tax credit policies. Despite Tesla being the pioneer in electric cars, the company has often been excluded from certain subsidies due to lack of unionized labor — something Musk has called “a corrupt loophole.”
Trump, meanwhile, has leaned hard into anti-EV rhetoric on the campaign trail, calling the Biden administration’s push for electric vehicles “a death sentence for American auto jobs.”
So when Musk started pushing for Isaacman — a fellow private sector space mogul — to take the top NASA job, Trump apparently saw red.
Behind the scenes, some insiders speculate that Trump feared losing influence over the future of U.S. space leadership. Isaacman’s close ties to SpaceX and his growing role in defense contracting — through his company, Shift4 — may have been seen as too “Musk-aligned” for Trump’s comfort.
The Space Agenda in Limbo
While the political shots fly, the bigger issue might be the uncertainty it creates for the U.S. space program.
NASA is currently navigating a turbulent period, from Artemis delays to increasing reliance on commercial partners like SpaceX. Isaacman, with actual mission experience and proven private sector credentials, was seen by many as a bridge between Washington and the commercial space world.
Now that bridge has been torched — and there’s no clear plan B.
Meanwhile, Back on Earth…
Financially, the feud may have wider ripples. Tesla stock dipped slightly after Musk’s post, while SpaceX watchers wonder how the drama could impact future government contracts.
And of course, all of this is happening against the backdrop of a potentially explosive election year. Both men are still highly influential. Both have die-hard followers. And both are clearly not above throwing social media haymakers to win the narrative war.
So what’s next? Will Musk endorse a third-party candidate just to spite Trump? Will Trump tweet back with some Apprentice-era zinger? Will Jared Isaacman go full rogue and start his own space agency?
Honestly, in this reality, anything feels possible.
