Quick Hit:

Tech mogul Elon Musk stunned political watchers Thursday by backing a call to impeach President Trump and replace him with Senator JD Vance, escalating a high-profile public feud between the two former allies.

Key Details:

• Musk endorsed a post on X calling for Trump’s impeachment and for JD Vance to take his place.
• The feud exploded after Trump said he was “very surprised” by Musk’s opposition to his signature spending bill.
• Musk responded with bombshell claims tying Trump to Epstein and took credit for Trump’s 2024 victory.

Diving Deeper:

Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, openly supported a post Thursday afternoon calling for the impeachment of President Trump,  a shocking twist in what has become an increasingly bitter public spat between the two.

The call came from right-wing commentator Ian Miles Cheong, who posted: “President vs Elon. Who wins? My money’s on Elon. Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should replace him.” Musk simply replied, “Yes,” lending his full support to the statement.

The dramatic rift broke wide open Thursday during a meeting in the Oval Office with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, where Trump told reporters he was “very surprised” and “very disappointed” in Musk, blaming him for turning against his administration’s top legislative priority — a sweeping spending bill the White House has called “historic.”The bill — which Trump has positioned as a defining legislative victory — includes massive tax cuts and spending reductions aimed at reining in federal debt and boosting U.S. industry. Musk has publicly argued the bill is too accommodating to establishment interests and not aggressive enough in fostering tech innovation and deregulation.

The White House brushed off Musk’s escalation, issuing a statement through Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt: “This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted. The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again.”

(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, Pool)