Amid last nights back and forth, there was an indication in one of Elon Musk's X posts that he believed there was a need to patch things up.

It came in a reply to a post by Bill Ackman, who made headlines earlier this year when he became one of the most prominent Trump-backers to criticise his tariff policy.

The billionaire hedge fund manager said Trump and Musk "should make peace" and wrote: "We are much stronger together than apart."

Musk replied: "You're not wrong."What happens when the richest person and the most powerful politician have a knock-down, drag-out fight?

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.

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

It's not a one-way street, however. After that volley, Musk called for Trump's impeachment and dared him to cut funding for his companies.

Musk has near limitless resources to respond, including by funding insurgent challengers to Republicans in next year's elections and primaries.

He may not win a fight against the whole of Trump's government, but he could exact a high political - and personal - price for Trump and