Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk launched a blistering attack on former President Donald Trump’s flagship economic legislation Tuesday, just days after stepping down from his high-profile advisory role in the White House.
The split marks a dramatic shift in a once-cozy relationship, with Musk deriding Trump’s signature spending bill as a “disgusting abomination” in a fiery post on X. “This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination,” Musk wrote. “Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong.”
The legislation, dubbed the “big, beautiful bill” by Trump, is projected to add between $2.5 and $3.1 trillion to the U.S. deficit over the next decade, even as it slashes funding for health and food assistance. Despite having led the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a controversial unit that aimed to streamline federal spending, Musk accused the bill of burdening Americans “with crushingly unsustainable debt.”
The timing of the outburst has intensified speculation about growing tension between the two billionaires. Musk, who reportedly donated nearly $300 million to Trump’s 2024 campaign, is said to be increasingly disillusioned with unmet promises from the administration, including failed efforts to extend his advisory tenure, introduce Starlink for air traffic control, and secure the NASA chief post for ally Jared Isaacman.
Adding to his frustration, the bill Musk criticized eliminates the electric vehicle tax credit, a blow to Tesla’s interests.
Despite the unusually harsh criticism, Trump has refrained from responding in kind, mindful of Musk’s influence over young, tech-savvy voters who were crucial in the 2024 race. “The president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill; it doesn’t change his opinion,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
House Republicans, meanwhile, are preparing to pass legislation codifying $9.4 billion in DOGE’s proposed cuts, mostly affecting public broadcasting and foreign aid. House Speaker Mike Johnson called Musk’s comments “disappointing,” noting that he had personally explained the bill to him just a day earlier.
Musk’s tenure at DOGE was marked by sweeping and often controversial reforms, including the elimination of tens of thousands of federal jobs and the closure of entire agencies. However, his cost-cutting record fell far short of his $2 trillion savings target, with DOGE claiming $180 billion in reductions, a figure critics say is inflated.
Compounding the backlash, Senate Democrats on Tuesday released a report detailing 130 alleged unethical actions by the administration that they claim benefited Musk and increased his wealth by $100 billion.
As Congress enters a tense phase of debate over the massive spending package, Musk’s high-profile defection adds a new layer of political drama and exposes fault lines in the coalition that powered Trump’s return to power.
Written By Rodney Mbua
