Elon Musk, the tech mogul behind Tesla and SpaceX, has seemingly stepped back from inflammatory accusations leveled against President Donald Trump during a heated public dispute.
On Thursday, Musk posted on X, “@RealDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!”
He followed up with, “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”
However, online observers quickly noticed that Musk deleted these posts, along with another endorsing a message calling for Trump’s impeachment and suggesting J.D. Vance replace him, where Musk had simply written, “yes.”
The deletions signal a possible retreat from the provocative claims that fueled a high-profile clash between the two influential figures.
Roots of the Musk-Trump Rift
The public spat erupted after months of camaraderie, with Musk having donated approximately $277 million to Trump’s 2024 campaign and vocally championing his return to the White House.
Musk even took on a role overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under Trump’s administration. The falling-out centered on Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which Musk criticized for ballooning the federal deficit by an estimated $2.5 trillion.
This policy disagreement sparked a flurry of social media exchanges, culminating in Musk’s now-deleted Epstein-related allegations.
The White House, through Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, called the episode “unfortunate,” noting Musk’s dissatisfaction stemmed from the bill’s failure to include his preferred policies.
A source familiar with the Epstein matter countered Musk’s claims, highlighting that Trump had expelled Epstein from his Palm Beach Golf Club and that released Epstein files, which included Trump’s name, revealed no new information.
Epstein Files and Ongoing Questions
Musk’s accusations come in the context of ongoing scrutiny over the Jeffrey Epstein case, with partial document releases shedding light on the disgraced financier’s activities.
In February, Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote to FBI Director Kash Patel, attributing delays in releasing the full Epstein dossier to an FBI field office in New York.
Bondi had requested all case materials, including records, audio, and video, but received only 200 pages—far fewer than those disclosed in a prior civil lawsuit tied to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s convicted accomplice.
While flight logs, evidence lists, and a redacted “masseuse list” believed to reference victims have been made public, a rumored client list remains unreleased, though Bondi claimed it was under review.
The documents name individuals like Maxwell, Prince Andrew—who has denied wrongdoing—and Jean-Luc Brunel, who died in custody. Epstein and Maxwell allegedly abused young women and girls from 1996 until Epstein’s death in 2019, with some victims reportedly as young as 14.
