The staggering and exceedingly public rupture in the world’s most consequential and unprecedented partnership was a long time coming. But the surreal state of suspended animation that consumed Washington as President Donald Trump and Elon Musk traded escalating blows on social media obscured a 48-hour period that illustrated profoundly high-stakes moment for the White House.

Trump's sprawling tax-and-spending proposal—touted as the centerpiece of his second-term agenda—is facing intensifying resistance

House Speaker Mike Johnson addresses Elon Musk’s concerns about the ‘big, beautiful bill’ while expressing his optimism about getting the bill passed on ‘Jesse Watters Primetime.’