Slaven Vlasic via Getty Images; Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
- Elon Musk and President Joe Biden just keep feuding.
- While Musk once showed enthusiasm for Biden's presidency, he's since turned to criticizing him via posts on X.
- Biden recently used his positive COVID-19 diagnosis to take aim at Musk and his "rich buddies."
Elon Musk and President Joe Biden have a yearslong history of feuding that shows no signs of slowing down.
When Biden announced that he was withdrawing from the 2024 US presidential campaign, Musk posted on X shortly afterwards. He wrote: "I believe in an America that maximizes individual freedom and merit. That used to be the Democratic Party, but now the pendulum has swung to the Republican Party."
It was the latest sign of the tension between the Tesla chief and the US president. Before his withdrawal, Biden had used his COVID-19 diagnosis to take a dig at Musk and what he described as "his rich buddies."
"I'm sick," Biden posted on X last week, following up with another post that said: "of Elon Musk and his rich buddies trying to buy this election. And if you agree, pitch in here." He then attached a link that directed users to his campaign fundraising website.
It hasn't always been this way, though.
When Biden was first inaugurated, Musk told Fortune that he was "super fired up that the new administration is focused on climate."
But Musk soon started taking aim at Biden's policies when he took office. The two have since been trading jabs, and the feud shows few signs of slowing down.
Origins of their feud
Early into Biden's presidency, Musk began criticizing the administration's policy choices. He mused that Biden was "controlled by unions" and joked that Biden was "still sleeping" when the White House didn't remark on Space X's historic private spaceflight.
The Tesla CEO took strong issue with Biden's approach to Tesla.
Their feud got particularly tense when the president didn't invite Musk, the CEO of the largest EV maker in the US, to an EV summit at the White House.
Musk said on X that it "seems odd Tesla wasn't invited." The then-White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked during a press briefing whether Tesla was being excluded from the event because its employees were not part of an automotive union.
"I'll let you draw your own conclusion," she replied.
The feud continued after Biden left Tesla out of a discussion about domestic EV production.
Biden posted a video on X of him speaking with Mary Barra, the chair and CEO of General Motors. "I meant it when I said the future was going to be made right here in America. Companies like GM and Ford are building more electric vehicles here at home than ever before," the caption read.
The Tesla CEO first commented on the post, "Starts with a T, Ends with an A, ESL in the middle."
Before responding to another comment with: "Biden is a damp sock puppet in human form," using the sock emoji.
He continued to admonish the President for his approach to Tesla. "This administration has done everything it can to sideline & ignore Tesla," Musk posted back in 2022.
It appeared to come to a head in May 2022 when Musk said he no longer plans to vote for the Democratic candidate in the upcoming presidential election.
The feud seemed to come to a head in early 2023, but that was short-lived
In early 2023, it seemed like the two had reached common ground.
Biden praised Tesla after Musk committed to opening thousands of Tesla chargers to other brands. The Tesla CEO replied: "Thank you, Tesla is happy to support other EVs via our Supercharger network."
However, Musk has ramped up his criticism of Biden in the run-up to the November election.
He's expanded his criticism of Biden to other policy areas like immigration and health, taking aim at Biden's age, and continuing his musings that he's controlled by unions.
In April 2024, Musk posted on X that "Biden doesn't really know what's going on. It's the far left machine that's responsible."
Then Musk "fully" endorsed Trump for the 2024 presidential election in a post on X in July.
Since then, the Biden administration has been fighting back. In a fundraising email last week, it wrote: "Musk is using his vast fortune to try to control our democracy."
Biden reiterated these sentiments in his post on X.