Donald Trump, Elon Musk In A Fierce Fighting Match Over Tax Bill And EV Credits: Who Said What

Last Updated:June 05, 2025, 23:20 IST

US President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk engaged in a fierce public spat after the Tesla boss criticised his "big and beautiful" $4 trillion tax bill.

Donald Trump and Elon Musk engaged in a public feud over the administration's tax and spending bill. (File Photo: AP)

US President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk engaged in a public spat over the White House’s $4 trillion spending and tax bill, with Trump expressing disappointment with Musk’s criticism of the legislation and the Tesla boss accusing the US president of “ingratitude".

The feud between once-close allies began over Trump’s “big, beautiful bill", which Musk called a “disgusting abomination", sparking a rift between the two high-profile figures. As Musk’s criticism grew, Trump made his frustration apparent today.

The public spat came days after his abrupt exit from the administration, following a 129-day stint leading a cost-cutting initiative through his advisory group, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), after failing to achieve his goals. Trump has expressed uncertainty about his bond with Musk, signalling a possible end to the bromance.

ALSO READ: Elon Musk Replies ‘Such Ingratitude’ To Trump’s Comments: ‘Won’t Have Won Election Without Me’

Who Said What?

‘Disgusting Abomination’

The controversy began on Tuesday, when Musk sharply criticised the One Big Beautiful Bill Act for the first time, calling it a “disgusting abomination". “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it," he said.

Musk doubled down on his criticism in a series of follow-up posts, warning that the bill would “massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit to $2.5 trillion" and claiming that “Congress is making America bankrupt."

However, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president was unfazed by Musk’s criticism. “It doesn’t change the opinion of President Trump. The president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill. It doesn’t change the President’s opinion," she said.

‘KILL THE BILL’

The Tesla and X CEO unleashed another assault on the legislation, urging Americans to lobby Congress to “KILL the BILL". In a post on X, Musk stated, “Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL."

In another post, Musk said, “This spending bill contains the largest increase in the debt ceiling in US history! It is the Debt Slavery Bill."

‘I’m Very Disappointed’

Donald Trump made his first public remarks over Musk’s repeated criticism of the tax package, saying he was “very disappointed" and did not know if his friendship with the billionaire former advisor would survive.

“I’m very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost 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 that we’re going to cut EV mandate, because that’s billions and billions of dollars and it really is unfair," Trump said in the White House.

Trump said he could understand why Musk was upset with some steps he had taken, including withdrawing a nominee to lead the NASA, whom Musk had backed.

‘Whatever’

Firing back at Trump’s remarks over EV mandate, Musk said, “Whatever. Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill."

“In the entire history of civilization, there has never been legislation that both big and beautiful. Everyone knows this! Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill."

Musk also rejected Trump’s claims that he was informed about the One Big Beautiful Bill in advance. “False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!" he said.

‘Such Ingratitude’

The feud escalated when Trump said he had helped Musk a lot and would have won the Pennsylvania election without the billionaire’s help. Trump also remarked that Elon Musk missed being in the Oval Office, saying that some people become hostile after leaving his administration.

Firing back, Musk said, “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate." He later said, “Such ingratitude".

Aveek Banerjee

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international...Read More

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international...

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News world Donald Trump, Elon Musk In A Fierce Fighting Match Over Tax Bill And EV Credits: Who Said What