Trump expresses displeasure over Musk's outburst, while Republicans minimize its potential impact on their legislative plan.
When tech billionaire Elon Musk roasted President Donald Trump's bill as a "disgusting abomination," it sent shockwaves through the West Wing and left GOP leaders scratching their heads. A day later, both Republican leaders and White House officials are playing it cool, brushing off Musk's outburst and focusing on the legislation at hand.
But behind the scenes, some are shootin' the breeze about their frustration with the Tesla CEO. White House officials, while not thrilled about the clash, aren't worried it'll change any senators' votes on Trump's prized bill. Two administration officials even thought Musk's opposition could work in Trump's favor, considering the Tesla mogul's recent toxic reputation.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune didn't blink at the possibility that Musk's criticism would sway Republican minds or sink the massive border, tax, and spending cuts package. Meanwhile, several GOP senators had been expressing doubts about the bill for weeks, but none seemed to be influenced by Musk's comments. Republican leaders remain gun-ho about delivering the legislation to Trump's desk by July 4.
The rift between Trump and Musk, while not officially broken, is slowly widening as their interests diverge and their relationship becomes more distant. People close to the president view this situation as inevitable; they've been preparing for potential conflicts once Musk no longer basked in his special proximity to the president.
Musk kept up his social media assault on Wednesday, pinning a post from another user that suggested Fox News commentators largely agree with him. He also called on Congress to draft a new spending bill that wouldn't explode the deficit. When our company's Kaitlan Collins asked Thune about the possibility of rewriting the bill, he replied, "We're a long ways down this track."
Trump was less than delighted about Musk's initial tirade, according to sources. He speculated that Musk's criticism must be about how the bill might impact Musk's business ventures, such as the repealing of electric vehicle subsidies. However, the timing of Musk's criticism irritated the White House and Senate Republican leaders because it threatened to further complicate efforts to unite the fractious congressional coalition.
Some White House officials and several top Republicans blamed Musk's criticism on the legislation's planned repeal of electric vehicle subsidies and its potential impact on Tesla. But a Republican strategist who's worked closely with Musk downplayed that, stating Musk's opposition to the bill is sincere and not just about the electric vehicle credits or solar energy subsidies.
"Elon is big mission, not small mission, and EV credits are small mission," said the source. "He fully believes it's a bad deal. All this work on DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency] would be a waste of effort."
Although the dust-up may not have a lasting impact on Musk's relationship with the president, some White House officials and people close to Musk aren't sure if this is just a temporary spat. Trump views Musk not as an ordinary lackey, but as a Democrat who fell for Trump and helped get him elected, despite their policy differences.
If Musk keeps up his criticism, the president is expected to fire back. But so far, Musk has avoided criticizing Trump directly. Instead, he's taken aim at members of Congress, despite Trump personally championing and lobbying for the bill.
Alayna Treene, Manu Raju, and David Wright contributed to this report.
Enrichment Data:
- Musk's criticism of the spending bill stems from concerns about its impact on the deficit, not just the removal of electric vehicle subsidies.
- Musk has been working on the Department of Government Efficiency project.
- Trump sees Musk as a Democrat who helped get him elected despite policy differences.
- There is a possibility that Trump may cancel Musk's government contracts in response to Musk's criticism.
- Musk's allegations about Trump being listed in the Jeffrey Epstein files have sparked a broader political reaction, with Democrats pushing for the full unsealing of these files.
The Tech billionaire Elon Musk's criticism of the spending bill has concerned White House officials, particularly because it goes beyond the planned repeal of electric vehicle subsidies and includes his concerns about the bill's impact on the deficit. Despite this, some White House officials and people close to Musk remain uncertain if this is a temporary spat, given Trump's view of Musk as a Democrat who helped get him elected despite their policy differences.
