Russian expert assesses the disagreement between President Trump and billionaire Musk

From budget disputes to NASA, tensions between billionaire Musk and President Trump could shake both the Republican Party and the US President’s position.

The public conflict between US President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk in recent days is not just a simple war of words between two powerful figures. According to Nezavisimaya Gazeta (Russia) on June 9, this is a warning sign of an escalating crisis in the Trump administration’s policies, while also posing major challenges to the Republican Party and the future of US politics.

The confrontation has exposed deep rifts within President Trump’s base, especially among businesses who had high hopes for a change-making leader. The conflict between President Trump and Mr. Musk revolves around two main issues.

First, President Trump refused to nominate Jared Isaacman, a friend of Musk, to head NASA. But the heart of the disagreement is Trump’s proposed budget bill. Musk has expressed outrage at soaring government spending, especially on defense, which he says has undermined the efforts of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). In addition, the reduction of tax incentives, especially for electric car manufacturers, is seen as a direct blow to Tesla, the company Musk runs.

Commenting on the issue, Vladimir Vasilyev, a senior researcher at the Institute for American and Canadian Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said that after four months of working with President Trump, Mr. Musk has opposed the US leader’s policies on behalf of the business community – those who had expected a change from the new administration.

“President Trump’s supporters think that even though he is an old man and a former showman, he still has a grand strategy. But now Musk says there is no strategy. President Trump really turns everything into a show with nothing behind it. Look at the tariffs, the Ukraine issue and many other things. A lot of big promises have been made but in reality, nothing has been done on any of them,” Vasilyev said.

This discord has led some Democrats to consider a potential alliance with billionaire Musk, according to the Russian newspaper Vedomosti. However, expert Vasilyev believes that Mr. Musk will remain loyal to the Republican Party for ideological reasons.

As for the possibility of a third party, political strategist Pavel Dubravsky, head of Dubravsky Consulting, said the prospect was unlikely. While Mr Musk has the resources to pull it off, the US political system is designed in such a way that third parties rarely gain significant voter support and are unlikely to have a significant political impact.

Dubravsky points out that it would be more effective for Musk to back candidates who oppose President Trump within the Republican Party. In addition, the creation of a new political force is more likely to weaken the Republican Party by dividing some of its voters, rather than harm the Democratic Party.