Elon Musk 'disappointed' with Donald Trump's spending bill: 'Undermines the work that DOGE is doing'
WASHINGTON, DC: Elon Musk appeared to distance himself from his close ally, Donald Trump, as he expressed his disappointment with the President’s much-ballyhooed sweeping tax bill, passed by Republicans in the House last week.
The 53-year-old Tesla founder, who recently confirmed his departure from government duties, claimed that the legislation, which Trump calls his “big, beautiful bill”, defies the goals of his Department of Government Efficiency.
Elon Musk ‘disappointed’ with Donald Trump’s bill
“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” the SpaceX CEO said in an interview excerpt released on Tuesday, May 27.
The Mega bill, which was passed in the House by a vote of 215-214 on May 26, would extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, boost defense and border security spending, and implement new requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, among other things.
“I think a bill can be big, or it can be beautiful, but I don’t know if it can be both, in my personal opinion,” he added, reflecting on the bill, according to Politico.
How Donald Trump’s bill undermines the work of Elon Musk’s DOGE
In his interview, Elon Musk appeared to echo the sentiments of several republicans who distanced themselves from Trump’s bill, claiming it would cost too much and demand more spending reductions.
Following his election, the Commander-in-Chief appointed Musk to lead DOGE, which oversaw massive federal layoffs, agency shutdowns, and government contract cancellations—some of which have been challenged in court.
Musk stated that the project would save at least $1 trillion in federal spending, and DOGE's website claims to have saved taxpayers an estimated $175 billion thus far.
However, several nonpartisan groups estimated that Trump’s bill would add $3 trillion or more to federal budget deficits over the next decade, with tax cuts that are only partially offset by spending reductions, according to the Times.
As per the Treasury Department, the US government is still more than $36 trillion in debt and has spent $1.05 trillion more than it has collected in the 2025 fiscal year.
Contrary to all budget experts, the White House and the majority of Republicans have claimed that the tax cuts will be so beneficial to businesses that they will increase government income and make up the deficit.
"This bill does not add to the deficit. In fact, according to the Council of Economic Advisors, this bill will save $1.6 trillion. There's $1.6 trillion worth of savings in this bill. That's the largest savings for any legislation that has ever passed Capitol Hill in our nation's history,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a press briefing.
Cracks appear in Trump-Musk bromance
Elon Musk was a near-constant presence with Donald Trump in the early days of his administration.
However, cracks in their bond began to surface after the tech magnate failed to deliver a victory for Trump in a high-stakes election to fill an open seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, according to the Daily Beast.
Following the big setback, Trump reportedly began informing his inner circle that Musk would be departing from the White House to focus on his businesses.
“You’re invited to stay as long as you want,” Trump told Musk at the end of April. “At some point, he wants to get back home to his cars.”
Musk also stated last week that he will do "a lot less" political spending after his automobile company, Tesla, announced a drop in profitability.
