Musk Takes Trump Feud Public
President Trump hosts an expanded bilateral meeting and working lunch with King Abdullah II of Jordan and his son, Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah, February 11, 2025. Photo by Daniel Torok and courtesy of The White House. Public domain.
Elon Musk didn't just walk away from Trump's administration — he threw a match over his shoulder and lit the whole thing on fire.
Just days after stepping down as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the billionaire entrepreneur went scorched earth on President Donald Trump's prized "One Big Beautiful Bill Act", branding it a "disgusting abomination" that will blow a $2.5 trillion hole in the federal deficit, as reported by CNBC. Musk, once Trump's handpicked bureaucratic reformer, is now its most high-profile critic — and he's not holding back on who he blames for the mess.
From Government Fixer to Fiscal Flamethrower
Musk was supposed to be the face of fiscal discipline — the billionaire technocrat leading Trump's crusade to slash waste and shrink the federal government. Under his leadership, the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, pledged to cut $2 trillion in federal spending over 10 years. In reality, the department achieved only a fraction of that target before Musk's abrupt departure on June 2.
Now, he's channeling that frustration into fury, unloading on the Trump-backed tax-and-spending bill that passed the House last month. Musk said the legislation will balloon the federal deficit by $2.5 trillion and saddle the country with what he called crushing, unsustainable debt.
The Irony of It All
The irony is hard to ignore. Musk — the man Trump once celebrated for trying to streamline government — now claims the president's marquee legislation obliterates DOGE's mission.
Estimates from the Congressional Budget Office place the bill's long-term cost at roughly $3.8 trillion over the next decade, while other fiscal watchdogs say the real figure could reach $5.3 trillion. GOP leaders argue that extending the 2017 tax cuts doesn't add new costs since those provisions were meant to be permanent. But the numbers haven't convinced Musk — or several Republican lawmakers.
A White House That's Not Listening
Despite the firestorm, the Trump administration is standing firm. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "The president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill. It doesn't change the President's opinion. This is one big, beautiful bill, and he's sticking to it." She also dismissed Musk's deficit warnings as inaccurate, even going as far as to accuse the Congressional Budget Office of having a bias against Republicans, as reported by CNBC.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson tried to walk a diplomatic line, acknowledging his friendship with Musk but insisting he was wrong. Johnson said, "For him to come out and pan the whole bill is to me just very disappointing, very surprising in light of the conversation I had with him yesterday," as reported by the New York Post.
Cracks in the GOP
Musk's criticism has exposed cracks within the Republican Party. Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie and Senator Rand Paul both backed Musk's position.
Some lawmakers even admitted they didn't know what was in the bill. Representative Mike Flood of Nebraska said he wasn't aware it included a provision limiting judges' power to hold individuals in contempt.
The bill — which runs more than 1,000 pages — passed the House after marathon markup sessions. Now it heads to the Senate, where several Republican senators are signaling they may revolt.
Musk's Motives and the Bigger Picture
Sources close to Musk say his frustration wasn't just about the bill. His departure from DOGE came after several behind-the-scenes clashes. Among them: the loss of electric vehicle tax credits, the FAA rejecting his Starlink system for air traffic control, and Trump pulling the nomination of Musk ally Jared Isaacman to lead NASA®. Each move was perceived by Musk as a personal and political slight.
Musk was once Trump's biggest donor, shelling out more than $250 million to support the 2024 campaign. But now, his criticism carries the sting of betrayal — and the weight of influence. With a massive online following and a network of allies in Congress, Musk has the clout to shape the next phase of the fiscal debate.
The question is whether that influence will translate into legislative power — or just more fireworks from the sidelines.
References: Musk Calls Trump Big Beautiful Bill Disgusting Abomination | Elon Musk Goes Off on 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Days After Leaving Trump Admin: 'Disgusting Abomination' | Elon Musk calls Trump tax bill an 'abomination.' Does he have the clout to stop it? | Permanent Ways & Means Bill Could Add $5.3 Trillion to Deficits
