A man who was once a Donald Trump insider has revealed what he says is the source of the breakup between Trump and Elon Musk: "a vile threat."
Author and former Trump associate Lev Parnas, who has reported on Trump's purported "humiliation" by Russia's Putin, has said less than a week ago that the MAGA "machine is starting to stutter."
After the fight on Thursday between Trump and Musk, Parnas took a victory lap.
"I warned this moment was coming — and today, it’s here," he said. "What started as a policy disagreement has become personal, vicious, and dangerous. Trump humiliated Elon in the Oval Office, then sent his loyalists — including Pam Bondi and Kash Patel — to figure out how to shut him up. DOJ probes, media smears, and regulatory sabotage are already being whispered. This isn’t politics — it’s war."
In a video, Parnas goes on to describe his view as to what started all the beef.
"If you've been with me, you know I've been warning you," he said, speaking of the "cracks in the MAGA empire."
He continued, saying Musk "declared war" on the president.
But what started it, according to Parnas, is not the spending bill.
"This is about power. This is about ego. This is about control," he said, explaining what his sources have told him.
According to Parnas, after Musk insulted Trump's bill, Trump "got vindictive." In the Oval Office, Trump delivered a message to Musk.
"He sneered, 'It looked like he got punched in the face. I offered him some makeup,'" Parnas said, describing Trump's statement about Musk's black eye in the White House.
"Folks, my sources are telling me that's the straw that broke the camel's back. That wasn't a joke - it was a vile threat," according to Parnas.
Parnas went on to say that the major "rift has been brewing for months" with Trump privately complaining about Musk's alleged drug use, and more.