Political pundits had long predicted that the bromance between the world’s most powerful man, Donald Trump, and the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, would explode in bitter acrimony. Yet, few could have anticipated how rapidly their close relationship would collapse into an avalanche of threats and evidence-less accusations. While it is tempting to pull out the popcorn, the break-up between the president of the United States of America and the owner of Tesla, SpaceX and X holds lessons that all democracies should heed. Mr Musk was Mr Trump’s biggest campaign donor during his re-election bid in 2024 and a regular fixture at campaign rallies in the final months before the November vote. The South Africa-born billionaire also used his substantial following on X to amplify Mr Trump’s messages. That relationship blossomed further after Mr Trump’s election: Mr Musk was tasked with heading the department of government efficiency where he and his team slashed foreign aid programmes and laid off thousands of federal government employees. Although not even a formal member of the administration, Mr Musk would attend cabinet meetings and often accompany Mr Trump on his presidential plane and helicopter.

The relationship appeared to be beneficial for Mr Trump. However, by blurring — if not erasing — multiple checks and balances designed to avoid conflicts of interest in governance, Mr Trump has exposed himself and his administration to avoidable risks. Financial backers of politicians almost always seek their pound of flesh. In this case, Mr Musk, a donor, was given the opportunity — through DOGE — to effectively also influence government policy. At the same time, his companies hold government contracts worth billions of dollars. Some US agencies like NASA rely on his firms, like SpaceX, to power their space missions. All of this has built a web of interdependence between Mr Musk and Mr Trump’s administration that makes the personal, the political and the professional almost impossible to separate. Mr Trump and Mr Musk can each hurt the other but if either does walk down that path, the ultimate loser will be the ordinary American citizen. Politicians in other democracies, including India, should take note. Money in politics is an unfortunate reality. But unless the role of those offering up political cash is circumscribed, an implosion like the one between Mr Trump and Mr Musk is inevitable.