Elon Musk
Donald Trump’s most recent dispute has been with billionaire Elon Musk. The U.S. President warned this Saturday that the entrepreneur will face “serious consequences” if he funds candidates who vote against Trump’s proposed budget bill. Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, criticized Trump’s initiative to significantly increase federal deficit and distanced himself from the former president after resigning as an advisor at the White House last week.
The public dispute erupted on Thursday when some lawmakers asked Musk to support candidates challenging Republicans favorable to Trump’s proposal with funds. Although Musk deleted a controversial accusation against Trump related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, the president dismissed those allegations as “old news” and denied any implication.
Vladimir Putin
The relationship between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin has been one of the most controversial aspects of his career.
During his first term, Trump repeatedly praised Putin and was accused of being “soft on Russia,” particularly during the Helsinki summit in 2018 when he contradicted his own intelligence agencies about Russian interference in the 2016 election.
In his second term, however, Trump has hardened his stance: he called the war in Ukraine a “ridiculous tragedy” destroying Russia and threatened sanctions if Moscow doesn’t end the conflict. Despite this, Putin has praised Trump, even backing his false claim of winning the 2020 election and calling him a “real man” after surviving an assassination attempt in 2024.
Volodymyr Zelensky
In February, a heated confrontation occurred between U.S. President Donald Trump and his counterpart, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump and Zelensky had a verbal altercation in the Oval Office of the White House, an unprecedented scene where the U.S. president demanded his guest to be “grateful.”
Trump asserted that Zelensky was not ready for peace and disrespected his country. In contrast, Zelensky stated he didn’t owe an apology to his U.S. counterpart.
“I respect President Trump and I respect the American people,” Zelensky said in an interview with conservative Fox News aired Friday night. He claimed they were “very open and very honest” in their conversation, stating that “no one wants to end the war more than we do,” as Ukraine has been invaded by Russia for three years.
Mike Pence
One of the most impactful breaks in U.S. internal politics has been the distancing from his former Vice President, Mike Pence.
After the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots, Trump publicly criticized Pence for refusing to block the election results’ certification.
Pence, in turn, stated that “history will judge” Trump’s role in that episode, marking a clear rift between them despite being running mates in 2016 and 2020.
Claudia Sheinbaum
Trump has also had harsh words for Mexico’s new President, Claudia Sheinbaum.
He has criticized and questioned her ability to curb migration and drug trafficking to the U.S., leading to tariffs on Mexican steel and aluminum exports.
In April of this year, Trump offered to send U.S. troops to Mexico to combat cartels, accusing Sheinbaum of being “afraid” of them. Additionally, he threatened more tariffs or sanctions if Mexico didn’t fulfill its commitment to water shipments under the 1944 Treaty.
Although Sheinbaum has avoided direct confrontations, her government has maintained a distant stance towards Washington since Trump’s return to the White House.
