A looming battle of wits—and perhaps of ballots—between the world’s richest man and the most powerful political leader promises to be epic. Elon Musk, the technology and aerospace titan, has drawn a clear battle line against President Donald Trump, the 47th president of the United States and head of the global hegemon.
Friends turned foes

During the 2024 U.S. presidential race, Musk poured vast resources into Trump’s successful comeback bid. Yet barely a year later the pair stand at daggers drawn. Trump’s sweeping domestic agenda—dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill”—has alienated several former allies, none more vocal than Musk. Their falling-out undercuts the old adage “he who pays the piper calls the tune.” Trump, it seems, will not dance to anyone else’s music, except deliver on his campaign promise.

What the super-rich do with their fortunes
Before unpacking the Musk–Trump feud, it is worth recalling how previous holders of the “world’s wealthiest” title chose to deploy their fortunes.

Bill Gates
Co-founder of Microsoft; World’s Richest Man (1995–2007, 2009, 2014–17)
Gates, now 69, has pledged to give away U.S. $200 billion before 2045 through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, focusing on global health, education, and climate initiatives.

Warren Buffett
CEO of Berkshire Hathaway; World’s Richest Man (2008)
Buffett, 94, has vowed to donate 99 per cent of his wealth, primarily via the Gates Foundation and a family-run charitable trust, leaving “just enough”—about US $2 billion each—to his three children. His philosophy:
“Parents should leave their children enough so they can do anything, but not enough that they can do nothing.”

Elon Musk
CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, X (Twitter), and Starlink; World’s Richest Man since 2021.
After Tesla’s meteoric rise pushed his net worth above US $200 billion, Musk briefly ceded the top spot to Bernard Arnault in 2022 but soon reclaimed it. Now, at 54, the South-African-born entrepreneur is threatening to pour his fortune into founding a new U.S. political party—a direct strike at the Republican–Democratic duopoly—to unseat Trump in 2028. The catalyst: Trump’s signing of the Big Beautiful Bill on 4 July, America’s 249th Independence Day, a legislation Musk argues would stifle technological innovation and space exploration where he plays a prominent role.

From philanthropy to power plays
While Gates and Buffett channel their billions into philanthropy, Musk appears ready to wield his wealth as a political weapon. If he follows through, the clash between Musk’s cash and Trump’s incumbency could reshape the American—and global—political landscape.

Stay tuned: the richest man on earth and the most powerful politician alive are set for a showdown that may redefine how extreme wealth translates into political power.

As a fallout of his disagreement with President Trump’s domestic policies—particularly on taxation—Elon Musk made a bold declaration on Twitter the following day (Saturday). He revealed that he had polled his followers on whether to form a new political party to challenge President Trump and stated:
“Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”
“By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party, and you shall have it!”

Musk’s announcement about launching what he calls the “America Party”—while stunning and unprecedented in the history of U.S. political evolution—is not entirely unexpected. This is especially so, considering the rapid deterioration of the once-unlikely alliance formed last year between then–Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Musk, the billionaire founder of Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and Starlink.

The unusual partnership had a clear objective: to unseat then-President Joe Biden and block Vice President Kamala Harris from ascending further. Both Musk and Trump shared a common enemy but had different motivations. Trump believed that Biden had stolen his 2020 mandate, when he was declared the loser of the presidential contest in 2019 and Biden the winner,while Musk was driven by a deep resentment of what he saw as the Democratic Party’s excessive embrace of “wokeness”—a term he equated with liberal overreach and cultural decay.

Musk’s antagonism toward Biden and the Democratic Party is deeply personal. In 2022, a U.S. court granted his child, Xavier Alexander Musk, legal rights to transition from male to female and adopt the name Vivian Jenna Wilson, effectively disowning Musk. This family conflict, in Musk’s view, was a byproduct of what he labels a “woke” culture, which he blames on Democratic leadership.

With such a powerful convergence of animosity, it wasn’t difficult to see how Trump’s political capital and Musk’s financial muscle could combine to defeat the Biden/Harris ticket in the 2024 election. And they did—Trump returned to the White House on January 20, 2025.

Having achieved their shared objectives—Trump’s reinstatement and the rollback of progressive policies including gender-identity recognition—one might have expected a continued alliance. Especially after Trump declared that only two genders—male and female—would henceforth be recognized by U.S. law, aligning with Musk’s worldview.

Yet, questions remain. Was Musk’s support for Trump merely strategic—meant to ensure favorable policy treatment for his sprawling business empire? Now that he is turning against Trump, their feud is a cautionary tale on why politicians and business tycoons should not be joined at the hip. Their fallout could lead to serious conflicts of interest, particularly as Musk’s newly declared America Party prepares to challenge the Republican establishment in the upcoming midterm elections, he Musk carries on with his threat.

What The World’s Richest Men Do With Their Wealth
Before delving further into this political rift, it’s insightful to consider how the world’s wealthiest individuals—past and present—have used their fortunes.

Elon Musk
Currently the world’s richest man, with a net worth of approximately $405.2 billion, Musk made his fortune through Tesla (electric vehicles), SpaceX (space exploration), X/Twitter (social media), and Starlink (satellite internet). He’s now channeling that wealth into politics—an unprecedented move in modern U.S. history.

Bernard Arnault
The French luxury goods magnate and head of LVMH, Arnault was the world’s richest man in 2022 with a net worth of $199 billion. He made his fortune through high-end brands such as Louis Vuitton, Moët and Chandon, and Hennessy.

Jeff Bezos
Founder of Amazon and Blue Origin, Bezos is currently the world’s second richest man, worth around $244 billion. Like Musk, he has invested in space exploration and also owns The Washington Post, signaling an interest in media influence.

Mark Zuckerberg
At $225 billion, Zuckerberg is the founder of Facebook/Meta, a social media empire that has shaped global communication, politics, and advertising.

Bill Gates
Founder of Microsoft, Gates held the title of the world’s richest man from 1995 to 2018. Now worth billions, he is one of the world’s leading philanthropists through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, focusing on global health, education, and poverty eradication.

Carlos Slim Helú
The Mexican business tycoon was the world’s richest man from 2010 to 2013. His wealth, accumulated through Grupo Carso, spans telecommunications (América Móvil), construction, and retail.

Warren Buffett
Founder of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett was the world’s richest man in 2008 with a net worth of $62 billion at the time. Now 94, he has pledged to donate 99 per cent of his wealth to philanthropy, primarily via the Gates Foundation.

To be continued tomorrow.

Onyibe, a public policy analyst, author, democracy advocate and development strategist, wrote from Lagos.