Letters | What the Trump-Musk feud reveals about American decline

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I refer to “Trump and Musk feud in real time as bromance implodes in spectacular fashion” (June 6).

The public dispute between Donald Trump and Elon Musk illustrates the late stage of a declining republic, an America that is increasingly dominated by billionaires rather than elected officials.

The two ostensibly fell out over US President Trump’s “big beautiful bill”, a tax plan that billionaire Musk said would increase the US federal deficit. But Trump said Musk was just outraged that the bill is scrapping tax credits for electric vehicles, a move projected to cost Tesla, a company heavily reliant on various government programmes, US$1.2 billion.

The feud quickly escalated. Trump threatened to terminate billions in federal contracts, which would be disastrous for Musk’s SpaceX programme, and Musk hinted at Trump’s alleged ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.