Musk calls Trump's big tax break bill a 'disgusting abomination,'
testing his influence over the GOP
[June 04, 2025]
By JONATHAN J. COOPER and CHRIS MEGERIAN
WASHINGTON (AP) — Elon Musk blasted President Donald Trump's“big,
beautiful bill" of tax breaks and spending cuts as a “disgusting
abomination" on Tuesday, testing the limits of his political influence
as he targeted the centerpiece of Republicans' legislative agenda.
The broadside, which Musk issued on his social media platform X, came
just days after the president gave him a celebratory Oval Office
farewell that marked the end of his work for the administration, where
he spearheaded the Department of Government Efficiency.
“I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore,” Musk posted on X. "This
massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a
disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you
did wrong. You know it.”
The legislation, which has passed the House and is currently under
debate in the Senate, would curtail subsidies that benefit Tesla, Musk's
electric automaker.
The tech billionaire followed his criticism with a threat aimed at
Republicans.
“In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the
American people,” he wrote in another X post.
It's a sharp shift for Musk, the world's richest person, who spent at
least $250 million supporting Trump's campaign last year. He previously
pledged to help defeat Republican lawmakers deemed insufficiently loyal
to Trump, but now he's suggesting voting them out if they advance the
president's legislative priority.
However, it's unclear how Musk will follow through on his criticism. He
recently said he would spend “a lot less” on political campaigns, though
he left the door open to political involvement "if I see a reason."
The tech titan's missives could cause headaches for Republicans on
Capitol Hill, who face conflicting demands from Trump and their party's
wealthiest benefactor.
Alex Conant, a Republican strategist, said “it’s not helpful” to have
Musk criticizing the legislation, but he doesn’t expect lawmakers to
side with Musk over Trump.
“Senate Republicans are not going to let the tax cuts expire,” Conant
said. “It just makes leadership’s job that much harder to wrangle the
holdouts.”
Trump can change the outcome in Republican primaries with his
endorsements, but Musk doesn’t wield that level of influence, Conant
said.
“No matter what Elon Musk or anybody else says — and I don’t want to
diminish him because I don’t think that’s fair — it’s still going to be
second fiddle to President Trump,” said Republican West Virginia Sen.
Shelley Moore Capito.
Musk's business interests stand to take a hit if lawmakers approve
Trump's bill, which would slash funding for electric vehicles and
related technologies. Musk is the chief executive of Tesla, the nation's
largest electric vehicle manufacturer, and SpaceX, which has massive
defense contracts.
Last month, Musk said he was “disappointed” by the spending bill, a much
milder criticism than the broadside he leveled Tuesday.
The budget package seeks to extend tax cuts approved in 2017, during
Trump’s first term at the White House, and add new ones he campaigned
on. It also includes a massive buildup of $350 billion for border
security, deportations and national security.
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., tells reporters he
agrees with Elon Musk's criticism of President Donald Trump's
spending and tax bill, calling it a "disgusting abomination," during
a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 3,
2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
To defray some of the lost tax revenue to the government and limit
piling onto the nation’s $36 trillion debt load, Republicans want to
reduce federal spending by imposing work requirements for some
Americans who rely on government safety net services.
Musk’s post threw another hurdle in front of Senate Majority Leader
John Thune’s already complex task to pass a bill in time for Trump
to achieve his goal of signing it by July 4. The South Dakota
Republican has few votes to spare in the GOP's slim 53-seat
majority.
Two of the Senate’s most fiscally hawkish Republicans quickly backed
Musk.
“We can and must do better,” Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul wrote on X.
Utah Sen. Mike Lee said “federal spending has become excessive,”
adding that it causes inflation and “weaponizes government.”
Still, Trump enjoys fierce loyalty among the GOP base, and in the
end, his opinion may be the only one that matters.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt played down Musk's
criticism.
“The president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill,”
Leavitt said, and Musk’s post “doesn’t change the president’s
opinion.”
The tension in the GOP delighted Democrats, who found themselves in
the unlikely position of siding with Musk. Democrats are waging an
all-out political assault on GOP proposals to cut Medicaid, food
stamps and green energy investments to help pay for more than $4.5
trillion in tax cuts — with many lawmakers being hammered at
boisterous town halls back home.
“We’re in complete agreement,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries
said of Musk. The New York Democratic lawmaker stood alongside a
poster-sized printout of Musk's post during a Capitol news
conference.
The last time Musk weighed in significantly on legislation, the
scenario was far different. His power was ascendant after the
election, with Trump joining him for a rocket test in Texas and
appointing him to spearhead DOGE.
During the transition period, Musk started whipping up opposition to
legislation that would prevent a government shutdown, posting about
it repeatedly on X. Trump soon weighed in, encouraging Republicans
to back out of a bipartisan deal. Lawmakers eventually patched
together a new agreement.
___
Cooper reported from Phoenix. Associated Press writers Joey
Capelletti and Mary Claire Jalonick in Washington contributed
reporting.
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