Kathmandu, June 8: US President Donald Trump has publicly confirmed that his relationship with tech billionaire Elon Musk has ended. In a recent interview with NBC on Saturday, Trump was asked whether his once-close ties with Musk had come to a close. He replied bluntly, “Yeah, it feels like it.”

When further questioned if he wanted to mend the relationship, Trump responded with a firm “No.”

This fallout follows a series of sharp exchanges between the two on social media. Musk had recently criticized Trump’s flagship tax and spending bill, calling it a “disgusting scam” on his platform, X. Although he didn’t name Trump directly, his comments were widely interpreted as a direct attack on the president’s domestic policies.

The bill, dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill” by Trump, includes multi-trillion-dollar tax breaks and increased defense spending. Musk warned that its passage would add trillions to the national deficit, undermining his earlier work as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—a role he resigned from just days earlier.

Vice President JD Bhansley, a close Trump ally, dismissed Musk’s comments, calling them an “overreaction.” On a podcast, Bhansley said Musk’s criticism was “a big mistake” and downplayed the likelihood of Musk rejoining the Republican fold.

The once-strong alliance between Musk and Trump appears to have collapsed under the weight of growing political and economic disagreements, marking a significant rift between two of America’s most high-profile figures.