Musk sharply criticizes Trump’s massive budget bill days after leaving the cabinet
Tensions escalated between allies Elon Musk and Donald Trump on Tuesday after the world’s richest man denounced the massive budget bill the White House leader is seeking to pass in Congress, a striking rupture that comes just days after he left a controversial White House post.
The Republican president praised Musk at a farewell ceremony he held for him upon his departure from his position as head of the Government Efficiency Commission last week, despite criticism of his failure to deliver on his pledge to radically transform government spending.
“The massive and outrageous budget bill” in Congress “is a disgusting abomination,” Musk wrote in a post on his X platform, the most outrageous criticism of Trump’s agenda ever issued by the businessman.
He continued, “Shame on those who voted for him… You know you made a mistake”.
This isn’t Musk’s first comment on the budget bill, which Trump describes as “big and beautiful,” and which will increase the US deficit by $3 trillion over a decade, despite significant cuts to health and food assistance programs.
But Musk’s previous criticisms were more restrained, simply stating that the bill undermines his efforts to cut costs.
On Tuesday, Musk said that the budget bill being discussed in Congress would place citizens under a crushing and unsustainable debt burden.
His post exposed growing tensions between the White House and Musk, who has donated $300 million to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
However, the Republican president, known for his aggressive rhetoric, has restrained his reaction, aware of Musk’s enormous influence over young, tech-savvy voters who will form a core part of his 2024 electoral base.
“The president already knows Elon Musk’s position on this bill, and that doesn’t change his mind,” White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt said in a statement.
“It’s a big, beautiful budget bill, and he’s sticking with it,” she continued.
House Speaker Mike Johnson described Musk’s comments as “disappointing,” saying he spoke to his “friend” about the project in a 20-minute phone call on Monday, and that the latter “seemed understanding”.
