The fiery feud between President Trump and Elon Musk is the most exciting public breakup since the days of Brangelina, according to Bill Maher.
The late-night comedian likened the public conflict and hostility to “Godzilla vs. King Kong, if Godzilla was on ketamine and King Kong sported a combover.”
The dramatic breakup is particularly surprising given that Trump and Musk were “so close,” akin to the celebrity couples Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, whose seemingly robust yet swiftly passionate romances captivated tabloids for years.
“They had their own couple name: E-lump,” Maher said.
But like the actor pairings, the Musk and Trump demise was a long time coming, he continued.
“I can’t really think of anything other than the Trump-Elon [fight],” Maher said in his opening monologue Frday for HBO’s “Real Time.”
The talk show host summarized the duo’s political falling out, tracing the potential start of their rift to Trump’s meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office last week when Musk appeared with a black eye.
The President claimed he offered makeup to the former Department of Government Efficiency head, but was turned down, which he found “interesting.”
“Yeah, weird, Elon, what sort of man turns down makeup?” Maher chided.
The feud slowly simmered as the pair lobbed further accusations against one another, including Musk claiming Trump’s tariffs would cause a recession and the President responding that no one wants to buy Tesla’s electric vehicles — but “s–t got real” when Musk claimed he was the reason Trump won the election.
“And Trump said, ‘Well, you know what Mars is a s–thole planet.’ And Musk said, ‘Oh my god, you are not the same man I used to heil,’” Maher said.
The fighting has only grown worse in recent days, with Musk shockingly claiming on X that Trump’s involvement in the Epstein files is the reason they haven’t been released. Musk has since deleted the X post.
Trump, on the other hand, has tried to play it cool, saying he hasn’t given much thought to his former “First Buddy.”
“The stakes are so high because the winner faces Blake Lively,” Maher joked, referencing the recent public downfall of the actress’s previously beloved image.
Any good feeling between the two men is likely gone after Musk stepped up his criticism of the Trump-backed “Big, Beautiful Bill” — and then called for the impeachment of the president and a new political party to challenge the GOP.
