The Associated Press's White House correspondent Seung Min Kim has said the public feud between President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk could have serious consequences for the president's agenda.
While speaking during a segment on CNN Thursday, Kim said she heard some early reactions to the development from some Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill who fear this spat could impact Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill."
She said Rep. Ryan Zinke, (R-Mont.) who served as interior secretary in Trump's first term, said this fight "can put the bill in serious jeopardy."
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"You have the richest man in the world, and you have the most powerful man in the world going up against each other," the Montana Republican said, per the reporter.
"I was a little skeptical at this point about how much power Elon Musk will have at this point. I think a lot of his power, within the Republican Party, comes from his proximity to Donald Trump," Kim told host Kaitlan Collins.
The once-amicable relationship between Trump and Musk deteriorated into a highly publicized feud after the latter's exit from the government. The conflict ignited when the Tesla CEO criticized Trump's major legislative initiative, the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" labeling it a "disgusting abomination" on his social media platform, X.
Reacting to his remarks, Trump expressed his disappointment and threatened to revoke government contracts with Musk's companies, including Tesla and SpaceX, which receive substantial federal subsidies.
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The situation escalated further when Musk alleged in another X post on Thursday that Trump's name appears in government documents related to convicted child predator Jeffrey Epstein, suggesting that this was the reason certain documents have not been made public.
Musk provided no evidence to support his claim, and the White House has not commented on his allegation.
Earlier on the CNN show Thursday, Collins said several people familiar with what was happening behind the scenes told her the Epstein post from Musk was the tipping point in this relationship, and that "there is no going back."
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