How bitter Trump-Musk feud escalated - and what happens next

A knock-down fight between the world's most powerful politician and its richest person is playing out in public view.

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The world is finding out – and it's not a pretty picture. Donald Trump and Elon Musk have two of the biggest megaphones, and they have now turned them on each other, as a disagreement has ballooned into a war of words.

Trump has threatened Musk's voluminous business dealings with the federal government, which form the lifeblood of his SpaceX programme.

"The easiest way to save money in our budget, billions and billions of dollars, is to terminate Elon's governmental subsidies and contracts," Trump posted menacingly on his own social media website.

If Trump turns the machinery of government against Musk, the tech billionaire will feel pain. Tesla's stock price plunged by 14% on Thursday.