Donald Trump ‘Disappointed’ With Elon Musk Over Spending Bill Criticism, Says Unsure About Their ‘Great Relationship’

Washington: US President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk's once-close relationship seems to be fraying. Amidst Musk's open criticism of Trump's spending bill, the US President expressed disappointment with the former DOGE head, questioning the future of their "great relationship". Notably, Musk has been criticising Trump's spending bill, calling it a "disgusting abomination". 

Donald Trump expressed disappointment over Elon Musk's harsh criticism of the Republican Party's proposed spending bill, known as the "One Big Beautiful Bill." Trump claimed that Musk knew about the bill and never raised any objections about it. But when he learned that there was a proposal to end the electric vehicle grant, he started opposing it.

Trump stated, "I'm very disappointed with Elon. I've helped him a lot. He knew the inner workings of the bill better than anybody sitting here. He had no problem with it. All of a sudden, he had a problem, and he only developed the problem when he found out we're going to cut the EV mandate." The president also implied that Musk's opposition stems from the bill's plan to phase out federal consumer tax credits for electric vehicles, which would directly affect Tesla.

Trump further suggested that Musk's sudden vocal criticism might be because he misses the "beautiful Oval Office." He said, "Elon worked hard at DOGE, and I think he misses the place. When people leave, they sometimes miss it so much they become hostile." Musk, however, pushed back, claiming the bill was never shown to him and was passed quickly without adequate review.

The rift between Trump and Musk highlights the growing tension between the two influential figures. Musk has been critical of the bill, calling it a "disgusting abomination" and urging voters to hold lawmakers accountable. The bill's fate remains uncertain, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune facing challenges in finalising the bill ahead of Trump's self-imposed July 4 deadline.

The ongoing war of words between Donald Trump and Elon Musk has taken an ugly turn. Trump has threatened to end Musk's government contracts, further souring the relationship between them.

Trump wrote on his social media platform, "The easiest way to save money in our budget is to end Elon's government subsidies and contracts." Musk replied, "This bill was never shown to me, and it was passed so fast that almost no one in Congress could read it."

Musk's Counterattack

Musk responded to Trump's allegations by saying, "Lies. This bill was never shown to me, and it was passed so fast that almost no one in Congress could read it." Musk also said, "It doesn't matter. Keep the electric vehicle/solar incentive cuts in the bill, but remove the disgusting pork that's in it."

The relationship between Trump and Musk was already strained, but now it has gotten even worse. Trump said that Musk's opposition was because he misses the Oval Office. Trump said, "Elon worked hard at DOGE, and I think he misses that place. I think when some people leave, they miss it very badly and some become hostile."

Musk responded to Trump by saying, "Without me, Trump would have lost the election." Musk also said that he would hold politicians accountable who support this bill. Musk said, "In November next year, we will remove all the politicians who have betrayed the American people."

Talking about the impact of the bill, JPMorgan analyst Ryan Brinkman said that this bill could put Tesla's profits at risk. He said, "We expect estimates to come down as the impact of the Trump administration's removal of electric vehicle subsidies becomes clear."