U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed disappointment in X owner and tech billionaire Elon Musk’s criticism of his budget bill.

“Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore,” Mr Trump said at the White House on Thursday, reacting to Mr Musk’s criticisms.

It was Mr Trump’s first response to Mr Musk’s opposition to his proposal to cut taxes and slash government spending.

Shortly after Mr Trump’s outburst on Thursday, Mr Musk fired back, calling him an ingrate whose re-election bid would have failed without his support.

“Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House, and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate. Such ingratitude,” Mr Musk said in a post on X.

The relationship between the duo was cordial during the election that saw Mr Musk openly declare support for Mr Trump after the president survived a failed assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.

However, five months after Mr Trump returned to the White House, things appear to have fallen apart between the American president and Mr Musk.

Mr Musk headed the Department of Government Efficiency, established to help Mr Trump cut the cost of governance until last week when he opted out.

Since he left DOGE, Mr Musk has been a vocal critic of Mr Trump’s tax bill, calling it a “disgusting abomination.”