Tensions between Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump have publicly escalated following Musk’s recent departure from his government role, with the tech billionaire harshly criticising Trump’s proposed spending bill as a “disgusting abomination.”
Musk, who recently stepped down as head of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) task force, previously supported Trump’s election campaign with nearly $300 million in donations.
However, his latest comments, posted on X, represent his most caustic remarks yet on the administration’s fiscal plans.
He decried the “massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill” and castigated those who voted for it, asserting it would burden “citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt.”
While Musk had previously offered mild criticism, suggesting the bill undermined his cost-cutting efforts, Tuesday’s comments signal a bitter divide between the two figures.
The White House quickly responded, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stating that the president “already knows where Elon Musk stands on this bill; it doesn’t change his opinion” and that Trump remains committed to what he calls “one big, beautiful bill.”
Musk and Trump were once considered inseparable, with Musk frequently accompanying the president.
During his four-month tenure leading DOGE, the “right-wing magnate” spearheaded a programme that saw tens of thousands of federal jobs cut and agencies shuttered.
However, DOGE’s claimed savings of $175 billion fell significantly short of Musk’s initial $2 trillion goal, with some fact-checkers placing verifiable savings closer to $16 billion.
Musk’s intensified criticism also comes amid increasing pressure from Tesla shareholders due to slumping sales and protests, alongside a series of rocket failures at SpaceX.
