Musk–Trump Feud Reignites on Social Media Over GOP Megabill: 4 Takeaways

A version of the spending and tax bill backed by the president was passed in the Senate on Tuesday.

Elon Musk and President Donald Trump listen to questions from reporters in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on May 30, 2025. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Weeks after their initial war of words, Elon Musk again waded into U.S. politics by renewing his criticism of the Republican-backed spending and tax bill.

A version of the bill backed by President Donald Trump was passed in the Senate on Tuesday and will head back to the House.

Musk Restarts It on X

In an X post over the weekend, Musk again put the bill in his crosshairs, saying the Senate version would add to the U.S. national debt.

“It is obvious with the insane spending of this bill, which increases the debt ceiling by a record FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS that we live in a one-party country—the PORKY PIG PARTY!!” he wrote on June 30.

Musk later added: “Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame!”

The Tesla CEO then suggested he would campaign against those Congress members in their 2026 primaries. “And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth,” he said.

Musk also re-posted a comment on X by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who has been critical of the One Big Beautiful Bill, as well as a post from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who also voted against the measure. He also vowed to back Massie’s reelection during the 2026 midterms.

Aside from Massie, Musk has shared a post from Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who voted against the bill and over the weekend confirmed he would not be seeking reelection in 2026. Trump said he would launch a primary campaign against Tillis before the lawmaker announced his retirement.

Trump Responds With Subsidies Warning

In a post on Truth Social, Trump suggested that DOGE look into subsidies received by Musk’s companies to save money for the U.S. government.

“Elon Musk knew, long before he so strongly Endorsed me for President, that I was strongly against the EV Mandate. It is ridiculous, and was always a major part of my campaign. Electric cars are fine, but not everyone should be forced to own one,” Trump wrote.

“Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa. No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE. Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!”

Musk later responded on X to Trump’s comments: “I am literally saying CUT IT ALL. Now.”

Trump also suggested during their public spat last month that subsidies for Musk’s companies could have been slashed.

Musk Again Threatens to Create New Party

Musk also wrote on X, “If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day,” as he bashed what he described as the “Democrat-Republican uniparty.”

The comment about creating a new party appeared to draw a response from White House adviser Stephen Miller, who noted that the Libertarian Party frequently loses elections.

“The libertarian delusion is that there is a large political constituency for their ideology. It does not exist. Libertarians have never performed nationally above a number rounding to zero. And when libertarians run for president within the GOP, they are the first ones out,” the White House deputy chief of staff for policy said on X.

In another post, Miller defended the bill and said it would provide significant funding to U.S. border security and deportation efforts.

“This chance won’t come again. Now is the moment to fulfill the promise on which the fate of civilization itself depends. Honor the vow we made,” Miller said.

Miller didn’t mention Musk in his comments.

In June, amid his spat with Trump, Musk also floated the idea of creating another political party that could be an alternative to Democrats and Republicans.

Previous Feud Over Spending Bill

During the 2024 election, Musk backed Trump after the president survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania last summer and poured millions of dollars into the election. Last November, Musk was named a special government employee and was the de facto leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was created by the president to identify wasteful federal spending, before he left the Trump administration in late May.

But in early June, Musk strongly criticized the One Big Beautiful Bill Act for its deficit spending, and Trump responded by suggesting that he could pull federal subsidies for a number of Musk’s companies.

Trump also said Musk relied on biased analyses of the bill’s fiscal impact and accused him of opposing the bill because of a provision that would remove tax credits for electric vehicles. Musk denied the accusation while saying the tax credit provision is unfair.

Musk also said that Trump and the GOP might have lost in the 2024 elections without his support. At another point, he threatened to decommission the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that the U.S. government uses to transport astronauts to the International Space Station before reversing course.

Musk later apologized for some of his posts, saying that he “went too far.” Trump later told the New York Post that he appreciated the Tesla billionaire’s remark and wished him well.

Reuters contributed to this report.