By Brendan Scanland
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A “big, beautiful brawl” erupted on social media Thursday as tech billionaire Elon Musk launched a wave of criticism at President Donald Trump and Republicans backing his sweeping legislative package, dubbed the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill.”
Tensions between the two– who appeared close allies days ago– flared online, just days after Musk wrapped up his role as a White House DOGE advisor.
“A new spending bill should be drafted that doesn’t massively grow the deficit and increase the debt ceiling by $5 trillion,” Musk posted on X.
The timing of the feud may complicate efforts to pass the bill before Republicans’ July 4 goal. The massive proposal narrowly cleared the House just before Memorial Day, and Senate Republicans are squeezing all the support they can to advance it. But the growing rift between Trump and Musk is shaking things up on Capitol Hill.
“He never had a problem until right after he left,” said President Trump.
“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!” Musk replied on X.
The multi-trillion-dollar legislation aims to solidify key Trump policies, including tax cuts, border security and increased domestic energy production. It also includes controversial reforms to Medicaid and federal food assistance programs.
Earlier this week, Musk called the bill an “abomination,” setting off a barrage of social media attacks.
“I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot,” said President Trump. “All of a sudden, he had a problem and he only developed the problem when he found out that we’re going to have to cut the EV mandate because that’s billions and billions of dollars.”
Musk’s sudden pushback is giving ammunition to hardline conservatives, just days after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the House version of the bill would add $2.4 trillion to the federal deficit over the next decade. The CBO also projected that nearly 11 million more Americans would be uninsured by 2034 due largely to the bill’s Medicaid changes.
“We’re not buying the CBO’s estimates, I don’t think that’s right,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R- LA).
“There’s going to be growth as a result of passing this bill. That growth generates additional government revenue,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R- SD).
“It’s unfortunate so many people are using an inadequate and incomplete CBO score. It is flawed because it’s based on the assumption the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expires—we’re extending it in our reconciliation bill. So, it’s apples and oranges, number one,” said Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX), chairman of the House Budget Committee. “You’ve got to grow and you’ve got to grow faster than you’re taking on debt. And that’s not happening today. But it will change with a pro-growth bill.”
The CBO score and Musk’s rebuke are pouring fuel on a fire that Republican leaders thought they had contained.
“To say that it’s a problem, or that it has created a bigger challenge for us, is true,” Rep. Arrington said. “He’s got a big voice. He’s got a big audience. And more importantly, it’s a credible voice. But he’s wrong on this issue. Doesn’t make him wrong on the waste throughout the government.”
Failing to pass the bill by July 4 is just one concern for GOP leaders. Musk has also threatened to target or support primary challengers against Republican incumbents in the 2026 midterms.
The feud between Musk and Trump escalated quickly into personal attacks by Thursday afternoon.
“Elon was wearing thin. I asked him to leave. I took away his EV mandate that forced everyone to buy electric cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!” Musk posted.
“The easiest way to save money in our budget—billions and billions of dollars—is to terminate Elon’s governmental subsidies and contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!” Trump added in another post.
“In light of the president’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately,” Musk replied.
