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 put up on X (previously Twitter). “Time to drop the actually huge bomb. Donald Trump is within the Epstein recordsdata,” Musk wrote. “That’s the true cause they haven’t been made public. Have a pleasant day.”
The put up went viral earlier than Musk quietly deleted it. However the injury was performed. For the primary time, Trump was dealing with a severe 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, advised the federal government would possibly assessment federal contracts awarded to Musk’s firms, significantly 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 choice to tug Trump into the darkest and most radioactive conspiracy idea 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 turn out to be a rallying cry for many who consider 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 upset. Then Musk tossed a grenade.
Feeding the Fireplace With Grok
In a collection of follow-up posts on July 17, Musk requested Grok, the AI chatbot constructed into his X platform, to generate a listing of people that had visited Epstein’s notorious non-public island as a result of, based on him, they “must be investigated for doable rape of underage women supplied by Epstein,” Musk wrote. “Suppose onerous and analysis completely. Order by possible severity and frequency of their crimes.”
Please make an intensive record of all those that must be investigated for doable rape of underage women supplied by Epstein.
Suppose onerous and analysis completely. 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 not the crusader in opposition to the elite. He was being forged 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 discuss 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 difficulty for MAGA since its inception. That’s what the Epstein difficulty is about. And it’s why the bottom can’t and gained’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 components 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 rapid. Some thought the CEO of Tesla and founding father of SpaceX was taking part in 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. By utilizing 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.
