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To view this on the COS website, click here [[https://conventionofstates.com/news/have-we-learned-our-lesson-yet|have-we-learned-our-lesson-yet]]


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====== Have we learned our lesson yet? ======


Trump’s relationship with Elon Musk spiraled out of control this week, but we don’t have to take sides.


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|Well, it was fun while it lasted.\\ \\ Back in November, biographer David Nasaw mocked Donald Trump’s partnership with Elon Musk as “the bromance that cannot last.”\\ \\ Comparing the SpaceX founder to past rich men —  Andrew Carnegie, William Randolph Hearst, Joseph P. Kennedy — who partnered with presidents for a time but were eventually cast aside, Nasaw [[https://www.wired.com/story/doge-elon-musk-really-not-leaving/|foresaw]] that Musk would “probably join the long list of genius businessmen donors who were casually discarded after they had served their purpose.”\\ \\ This week, that prophecy came true. And the two men more than just parted ways; they exploded like one of Musk’s rockets.\\ \\ [[https://www.wired.com/story/doge-elon-musk-really-not-leaving/|Last Friday]], the former head of DOGE, who wanted to refocus his time on his businesses, hosted a cordial farewell press conference with Trump in the Oval Office. Both men appeared to be on friendly terms, and the president maintained that “Elon’s really not leaving,” suggesting that he would continue to advise the administration.\\ \\ But, oh, how the times have changed.\\ \\ Less than one week later, their camaraderie had spiraled into an all-out food fight, a lowdown schoolyard brawl between the richest man and most powerful man on earth — a terrifying (if not amusing) spectacle to behold.\\ \\ It all started on Tuesday when Musk, who had been critical of Trump’s “one, big, beautiful bill” before, went ballistic on the “massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill,” blasting it as a “disgusting abomination.”\\ \\ “Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong,” he [[https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1929954109689606359?s=46|wrote]] on X.\\ \\ [[https://conventionofstates.com/news/mr-musk-goes-to-washington-and-leaves-disappointed|As Convention of States previously reported]], Musk has complained that the spending package will undercut DOGE by increasing the national deficit. (The White House has [[https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/06/mythbuster-the-one-big-beautiful-bill-cuts-spending-deficit-and-thats-a-fact/|denied]] this claim as a “hoax.”) Musk, who continued to rip into the bill and government spending, eventually (and inevitably) crossed a line for Trump, who revealed he was “very disappointed” in his ex-ally. \\ \\ “Elon and I had a great relationship,” the president told reporters. “I don’t know if we will anymore.”\\ \\ The fallout escalated on Thursday, with Trump threatening to cut “Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts” and the Tesla founder alleging that his former boss appears in the Epstein files.\\ \\ “That is the real reason they have not been made public,” he said.\\ \\ At least one White House official [[https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-responds-to-elon-musk-epstein-claims-an-unfortunate-episode-from-elon?topStoryPosition=undefined&author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&category=News&elementPosition=4&row=1&rowHeadline=Top+Stories&rowType=Top+Stories&title=White+House+Responds+To+Elon+Musk+Epstein+Claims%3A+%E2%80%98An+Unfortunate+Episode+From+Elon%E2%80%99|confirmed]] that Trump’s name is on the list. However, the source claimed that “Everyone already knew this.”\\ \\ Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt brushed off the accusations as an “unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted.”\\ \\ And while Trump continues to [[https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump|hawk]] his signature legislation as “one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress,” the drama with Musk may have exposed a broader faultline within the Republican Party. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a longtime Trump admirer, for example, [[https://www.newsweek.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-reacts-elon-musk-trump-feud-2081734|revealed]] she will vote against the bill.\\ \\ “I have to agree with [Musk] on one hand,” she said. “I always love it when Americans are angry at the federal government and express it. I think that should’ve been happening for years now. I mean, we’re $36 trillion in debt for a reason.”\\ \\ She raises a fair point.\\ \\ Isn’t it telling that Trump and Musk, both of whom were committed to //increasing// fiscal responsibility, broke up over federal spending?\\ \\ Even as politicians devour each other, our national debt continues to climb, enslaving future generations one spending bill at a time. And yet, D.C. simply refuses to address the issue. Are we even surprised at this point?\\ \\ We don’t have to pick a side in this conflict. In truth, solving the debt crisis may be an impossibility for anyone inside the federal government. That leaves us with two options. Either we must resign ourselves to eventual financial collapse and continue to permit politicians to plunder our children, or We the People must pump the emergency brake by calling an Article V convention to limit the size and scope of the federal government.\\ \\ I think you know which option we prefer.\\ \\ Trump and Musk were well-intentioned about using DOGE to cut government waste, but let’s face it: spending is a way of life in the nation’s capitol — an irresistible addiction that Washington will never give up willingly. If you need proof of that, just look to President Ronald Reagan, who rallied against deficit spending and yet couldn’t help but add to the debt. \\ \\ Have we learned our lesson yet? How long until //we// take action?\\ \\ Will we continue to watch as America speeds toward fiscal insolvency — or will we wrest control of the car back from the spending-addicted establishment?\\ \\ In the time it took you to finish this article, our national debt has grown by approximately $12 million. Today alone, it will increase by over $4 //billion//. Who’s going to pay that off? Your kids? Your grandkids? \\ \\ Just think about that for a moment . \\ \\ If you’re ready to take action to liberate future generations from the chains of financial slavery, please consider signing the COS petition below and joining our grassroots army. \\ \\ Additionally, you can sign [[https://secure.conventionofstates.com/open-letter-trump-prs|our open letter to Trump]] to show him how COS can help implement common sense amendments to limit federal spending, power, and terms of office.\\ \\ The future of the Republic depends on people like you getting involved. Don’t wait to take action!\\ \\ #|PETITION_WIDGET{petition_tag:comms_blog_NA_06/06/2025_havewelearnedourlessonyet?06062025;coalition_id:;anedot_url:}|#|


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|  __Page Metadata__  ||
|Login Required to view?  |No                  |
|Created:                 |2025-06-06 21:56 GMT|
|Updated:                 |2025-06-13 07:00 GMT|
|Published:               |2025-06-06 22:00 GMT|
|Converted:               |2025-11-11 12:05 GMT|
|Change Author:           |Jakob Fay           |
|Credit Author:           |                    |