JD Vance jumps to Trump's defence amid Elon Musk's bombshell claims about Jeffrey Epstein files during online argument

The United States' VP has been forced to step in after President Donald Trump last night became embroiled in a bitter online slanging match against ex political pal, Elon Musk.

It's safe to say things have soured between Trump and his former 'first buddy' Musk since the Tesla boss stepped down from his temporary position in Trump's Department of Government Efficiency.

And in a supportive new statement, Trump's right-hand man JD Vance condemned the tech boss for making a scandalous slew of social media accusations - including one surrounding Trump's alleged affiliation with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

If you missed last night's drama (5 Jun), worry not. We're here to fill you in.

Musk resigned last month (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Musk's resignation

Back in May, Musk resigned from his role as Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) co-lead - a position bestowed upon him by Trump during his January inauguration.

Claiming the move was only spurred because the 'special government employee' role is limited to 130 days, the Tesla CEO wrote on Twitter at the time (21 May): "As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending.

"The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government."

Despite an amicable departure from his political position, the days that followed saw Musk making a series of somewhat pointed remarks in public, many of which seemed to criticise Trump's administration in some way.

The insults begin

First, the billionaire took aim at the right-wing leader's support of a 'big beautiful bill', that would increase the deficit by $3.8 trillion by 2034.

Musk told CBS of the decision: "I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing."

The father-of-13's take on Trump's finances was only the beginning, however, and on Tuesday (4 June), Musk took to social media to ignite what would become a bitter online battle.

Musk later condemned Trump (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

"I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore," he wrote. "This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it."

During a meeting in the Oval Office yesterday (5 Jun), Trump responded with some harsh words of his own, telling attendees: "Look, you know, I've always liked Elon, and it's always very surprised you saw the words he had for me, the words and he hasn't said anything about me."

He added: "But I'm very disappointed, because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here."

Musk later replied to Trump's message in a tweet reading: "False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!"

The hours that followed saw the pair hurling damning insults at one another - but the most shocking was one made by Musk.

Epstein allegations

"Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public," he penned. "Have a nice day, DJT!"

The documents Musk describes are investigative materials compiled by federal agencies in relation to the heinous abuse crimes committed by the media mogul prior to his 2019 suicide.

These transcripts and videos have fuelled conspiracy theories surrounding possible political influence for several years now.

Trump being named in the files does not imply wrongdoing on the president's part, however, with no formal allegations having been made against him.

Vance's intervention

Following the internet spat, Trump's Vice President JD Vance took to Twitter to release his own statement on the matter.

Musk mentioned the Epstein files in his allegations (Davidoff Studios/Getty Images)

"President Trump has done more than any person in my lifetime to earn the trust of the movement he leads," the 40-year-old Republican tweeted.

"I'm proud to stand beside him."

Trump also later responded to Musk's bombshell claim, evading the mention of Epstein entirely.

"Elon was 'wearing thin', I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!" he wrote on Truth Social.