WASHINGTON — Billionaire Elon Musk, former head of the Department of Government Efficiency under President Donald Trump, reignited criticism of Trump’s massive legislative spending package just before a critical Senate vote.
Musk, who had toned down his remarks after stepping down from his advisory role on May 30, returned to social media on June 28 to denounce the proposal. With the Senate poised to begin debate, Musk condemned the legislation as dangerous to the U.S. economy and future innovation.
“The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country!” Musk posted on X, the platform he owns. “Utterly insane and destructive. It gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future.”
In a follow-up post, Musk warned the bill posed a serious threat to Republican electoral prospects:
“Polls show that this bill is political suicide for the Republican Party.”
Musk, CEO of both Tesla and SpaceX, had previously referred to the bill as a “disgusting abomination” for failing to sufficiently reduce government spending. He also sparked controversy by suggesting Trump had been named in classified Justice Department documents related to the late Jeffrey Epstein — a claim the White House denied. Musk later walked back those accusations, saying in a June 11 post at 3:04 a.m.:
“I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.”
Tensions between the two figures have escalated in recent weeks. Musk has suggested his criticism stems from policy disagreements, particularly Trump’s decision to end electric vehicle subsidies and reject Musk’s preferred nominee to lead NASA.
Trump responded on his platform, Truth Social:
“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!”
As the Senate prepared for a key vote on the legislation, the clash between Musk and Trump added fresh drama to an already contentious policy battle that could shape the future of federal spending, industrial policy, and the 2026 elections.
Source: usatoday.com
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