The battle lines are being drawn in the Republican Party.
A major GOP figure just picked a side in the biggest political fight of the year.
And Ron DeSantis made one surprising move that has Donald Trump fuming.
DeSantis backs Elon Musk in explosive feud with Trump
The Republican Party is witnessing its most dramatic split since Donald Trump first entered politics.
The feud between President Trump and billionaire Elon Musk has erupted into a full-scale war that’s dividing the entire conservative movement.
But nobody expected Ron DeSantis to jump into the middle of this heavyweight bout.
The Florida Governor’s political action committee, Restore Our Nation (RON) PAC, sent out a fundraising email that threw their support squarely behind Musk in his battle with Trump.
The PAC’s message praised Musk for leading efforts to cut wasteful government spending through DOGE while taking heavy criticism from the media.
The fundraising email then blasted Republicans in Congress for betraying voters by fully funding bloated government programs instead of making the deep cuts they promised.
This move puts DeSantis in direct opposition to Trump at the worst possible time for party unity.
Trump and Musk’s relationship implodes over spending bill
The feud started when Musk launched a blistering attack on Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The Tesla CEO called the massive spending package "outrageous" and "pork-filled," describing it as a "disgusting abomination."
Musk didn’t hold back in his criticism of Republicans who supported the legislation.
Trump initially tried to avoid responding directly to his former ally’s criticism.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump knew where Musk stood but that "it doesn’t change the president’s opinion."
"This is one big, beautiful bill and he’s sticking to it," Leavitt said.
But when Musk kept hammering away at the legislation, Trump finally lost his patience.
Trump unleashes on Musk with devastating Truth Social post
The President fired back with both barrels blazing on Truth Social.
Trump claimed that Musk was becoming a problem and that he had asked the billionaire to leave his administration.
He also bragged about ending electric vehicle mandates that he said forced Americans to buy cars they didn’t want.
Trump then delivered what could be a knockout punch to Musk’s business empire.
He suggested the easiest way to save government money would be to end Musk’s government subsidies and contracts, expressing surprise that Biden never took that step.
Musk fired right back, calling Trump’s statement "such an obvious lie" and adding "so sad."
But then Musk dropped what he clearly thought was his nuclear option.
The SpaceX CEO made explosive allegations about Trump’s connection to Jeffrey Epstein, claiming this was why certain documents haven’t been released publicly.
DeSantis risks Trump’s wrath with calculated gamble
While Trump and Musk traded increasingly vicious attacks, DeSantis saw an opportunity.
His PAC’s fundraising message praised Musk for standing up to wasteful government spending and criticized Republicans in Congress for abandoning their fiscal conservative promises.
The timing wasn’t accidental.
DeSantis has been complaining for months that a Republican Congress hasn’t implemented meaningful spending cuts despite promises to slash government waste.
He specifically noted that despite having Republican control of Congress past Memorial Day, not a single cent in DOGE cuts had been implemented.
Conservative activist Laura Loomer quickly spotted DeSantis’s fundraising message and amplified it on social media, seeing it as an attack on Trump.
She even speculated whether Musk might help fund a potential gubernatorial campaign for Casey DeSantis, the Governor’s wife who’s considering running to replace her term-limited husband in 2026.
Republicans worry about party-splitting consequences
The public break between Trump and Musk has GOP operatives concerned about long-term damage to the party.
One longtime Republican operative speaking anonymously questioned whether two figures with such controversial reputations among the MAGA base could form an effective coalition.
The operative noted that both Musk and DeSantis had positioned themselves against Trump and both had experienced recent campaign failures.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders even jumped into the fray, criticizing the spending bill from the left.
Sanders questioned why Republicans concerned about the national debt wouldn’t instead cut tax breaks for wealthy individuals and corporations along with increased military spending.
Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana tried to play peacemaker, saying Musk was frustrated about America becoming "debt slaves" and that Congress needed to learn to say no to wasteful spending.
But Kennedy added that he wasn’t ready to abandon the bill entirely.
The stakes couldn’t be higher for the GOP
DeSantis’s decision to back Musk puts him in a precarious position with Trump.
The Florida Governor had been working to repair his relationship with the President after challenging him in the 2024 Republican primary.
Florida has enacted many of Trump’s priorities at the state level, from strict immigration policies to removing fluoride from the state’s drinking water.
But DeSantis has also shown he’s willing to buck Trump when it suits his political interests.
He hasn’t endorsed Trump’s choice of Representative Byron Donalds to succeed him as Florida Governor.
DeSantis also selected his own ally, former state Attorney General Ashley Moody, for the U.S. Senate seat vacated when Marco Rubio became Secretary of State.
Now DeSantis is betting that siding with Musk on fiscal responsibility will pay off in the long run, even if it angers Trump in the short term.
Republican donors have privately expressed concerns that the decision to fundraise off DOGE could damage relationships with Trump.
With the Senate set to vote on Trump’s spending bill and a July 4 deadline looming, the next few weeks will determine whether this Republican civil war tears the party apart or strengthens it through healthy debate.
Ron DeSantis just rolled the dice on his political future by choosing Team Musk over Team Trump.
