The feud between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk – assuming it is a real feud and not something else – has been rekindled after the billionaire entrepreneur again publicly panned the president’s favorite new piece of legislation, dubbed the One Big Beautiful Bill (generally referred to as OBBB or BBB). The bill squeaked through the Senate on July 1, courtesy of Vice President JD Vance’s tie-breaking vote, and now heads back to the House of Representatives. What’s really going on behind the scenes of Trump’s dust-up with Musk? Given the disposition of these two unconventional characters, it is difficult to do more than speculate – but the fallout, both actual and potential, is intriguing.
Musk, who returned to his business empire after a stint as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) frontman, hasn’t exactly been reticent about voicing his distaste for the massive spending bill championed – one might say demanded – by Trump. After backing off his criticism, it seemed that Musk had come to a rapprochement of sorts with the president.
Then, in a June 30 post to X, Musk wrote, “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!! Time for a new political party that actually cares about the people.”
Things have escalated quickly this time. Trump threatened to back a primary challenge to Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who has become increasingly critical of the 47th president. In response to Trump, Elon Musk suggested he would support the libertarian congressman’s re-election campaign.
Trump upped the ante by suggesting to reporters on July 1, “We might have to put DOGE on Elon.” The president added, “You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn’t that be terrible? He gets a lot of subsidies.”
Whether that would happen or not, there’s an ironic twist here. When Elon Musk was spearheading DOGE efforts to expose and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse within the federal government, progressives developed a severe case of Musk Derangement Syndrome, with many on social media suggesting DOGE investigate which federal subsidies and contracts the billionaire’s companies have been awarded.
Will those people cheer Trump if he followed through and did exactly what they claimed should be done? Holding one’s breath is not recommended.
Elon Musk – Fiscal Hawk or Profit Hawk?
It could be that Musk is genuinely appalled by the spending. His June 30 tirade on X continued, “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! And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.” He went as far as vowing to create a new political entity, the America Party, if and when Trump signs the BBB into law.
There’s also the possibility that Musk is thinking about provisions in the mega bill that will negatively affect the competitiveness of his Tesla electric vehicle company. A key part of the Trump 2.0 agenda is the move away from so-called green energy initiatives – and the taxpayer-funded perks that come with them.
For Trump’s part, his penchant for engaging in petty but very public spats probably leaves even his most loyal supporters flabbergasted. Alienating an extremely influential ally – who also happens to be the world’s wealthiest man – doesn’t seem very prudent.
Donald Trump – Petulant or Provocateur?
How much of this is real and how much is theater is hard to tell. The feud appears serious this time, even though the president still speaks well of Elon Musk in interviews. Both men clearly like the publicity, and Trump, especially, seems to take perverse pleasure in making public comments that leave supporters and critics alike shaking their heads in disbelief, amusement, horror, or a little of each.
When Trump tells a reporter that “We’ll have to take a look” at deporting Musk back to South Africa, as he did on July 1 before heading to Florida, there are only two conclusions one can consider: Either the president is being petulant or he is baiting his critics with a remark so far out there that they can’t focus on whatever else is going on. And for Trump – very much like Musk with his trolling on X – that’s all part of the game.
As for Massie, a bit-player in the Trump-Musk throwdown, he would perhaps do well to review the political fortunes of Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), former Republican Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, and a few others. It is frustrating to witness Congress’ continuing eagerness to spend more money and its reluctance to cut deeply enough. Yet, turning on Trump has become an electoral death sentence for Republican lawmakers. A late-June Kaplan Strategies poll – which, granted, surveyed only 368 likely GOP primary voters – doesn’t hold good news for the Kentucky Republican. Newsweek reported:
“In terms of his arguments with Trump, 72 percent said they were less likely to vote for Massie because of his opposition to Trump's tax cuts and budget, while 58 percent said they were less likely to vote for him over his opposition to Trump's Israel policy.”
The poll showed 19 percent of those surveyed said they planned to vote for Massie next year in the Republican primary, but with a Trump-endorsed challenger in the mix, that percentage dropped to 14.
This demonstrates the power of loyalty to the current president. Congress has precious few true fiscal hawks, and yet one could be ousted because he is seen as too critical of Trump.
Will Elon Musk escalate his fight with Trump? Will the president ratchet it up? Or is this all some grand circus act – fodder for the media while either of these larger-than-life figures works on other plans? It’s all good water cooler stuff. For America, the two men seem better together than apart, and they both know the art of the deal. This collaboration may not be dead in the water just yet.
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