Days after pledging to “cut spending” as co-director of the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk sharply criticized his friend, President Donald Trump, over his new domestic policy bill.
During an appearance at SpaceX’s Starship rocket launch last night (May 27), the tech executive was asked by reporters about the Trump-backed bill, which is expected to increase the deficit by $3.8 trillion by 2034.
He claimed that the Republican leader’s recent spending on the bill “undermines the work” of his team.
Musk, 53, was appointed co-director of the Department of Government Efficiency after Trump returned to the White House in January, assuming responsibility for helping to curb excessive federal spending.
From his first days in office, the Tesla CEO threatened the jobs of thousands of workers, using his newfound power to circumvent conflict of interest and transparency requirements.
After being accused of fomenting a “hostile takeover” with this controversial decision, Elon Musk insisted that these actions were “common sense” and were neither “draconian nor extreme.”
Despite Trump’s initial public support on these budgetary and federal issues, their relationship has reportedly gradually deteriorated in recent months.
Last week, a comment from Elon Musk amounted to a sharp remark that could be interpreted as an insult to Trump. “I think in terms of political spending, I’m going to spend a lot less in the future,” the father of 13 said in an interview with Bloomberg’s Mishal Husain.
He added, “I think I’ve done enough.”
Elon Musk seemingly reiterated this sentiment during another public appearance this week, referring to the domestic policy bill passed by Republicans last week.
This “big, beautiful bill,” which still needs Senate approval, would extend the president’s tax cuts and increase spending on border security, among other goals.
“Frankly, I was disappointed to see this colossal spending bill, which not only increases the budget deficit, but also undermines the work of the DOGE team,” Elon Musk said Tuesday in an interview with CBS.
“I think this bill could be colossal or beautiful, but I don’t know if it can be both. That’s my personal opinion.” »
In another part of the interview, the billionaire referred to Trump’s bill by evoking the criticism he, as chairman of DOGE, has received from across the country regarding its spending.
The relationship between Trump and Musk has reportedly deteriorated in recent months (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images).
In response to a question from the Washington Post, Elon Musk said: “DOGE has become the scapegoat for everything.”
“Something bad is going to happen anywhere, and we’re going to be blamed for it, even if we didn’t do anything about it.”
Elon Musk admitted: “The state of the federal bureaucracy is much worse than I thought it would be.”
“I thought there were problems, but it’s certainly an uphill battle to improve things in Washington, D.C., to say the least,” he added.
