Elon Musk has hit out at President Donald Trump’s signature tax and spending bill, describing it as a “disgusting abomination”, in a widening rift between the two allies.
The budget, which includes multi-trillion-dollar tax breaks and more defence spending while also allowing the US government to borrow more money, was passed by the House of Representatives last month.
The tech billionaire wrote on X earlier this week that the bill would add to the US budget deficit and saddle Americans with “crushing” debt.
On Tuesday, he described it as a “disgusting abomination”, in a widening rift between the two.
The bill has the backing of Trump and would be the legislative linchpin of his second-term agenda if it passes Congress.
“Shame on those who voted for it,” Musk said on Tuesday, hinting that he may try to unseat the politicians responsible at next year’s midterm elections.
Musk left the administration abruptly last week after 129 days working to cut costs with his team, known as Doge. The comments mark his first public disagreement with Trump since leaving government, after having previously called the plan “disappointing”.
Soon after Musk’s tweet on Wednesday, the White House sent out a “myth buster” statement, calling any assertion that the bill would lead to higher deficits a “hoax”.
“By every honest metric, President Donald J Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill dramatically improves the fiscal trajectory of the United States and unleashes an era of unprecedented economic growth,” the statement reads.
It made no mention of Musk or his tweets. The BBC has contacted the White House for comment.
The South African-born tech billionaire’s time in the Trump administration came to an end on 31 May, although Trump said that “he will, always, be with us, helping all the way”.
In its current form, the bill – which Trump refers to as the “big beautiful bill” – has been estimated to increase the budget deficit (the difference between what the government spends and the revenue it receives) by about $600bn (£444bn) in the next fiscal year.
In a series of posts on X on Tuesday, Musk said that the “outrageous, pork-filled” spending bill will “massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit to $2.5 trillion (!!!) and burden America [sic] citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt”.
In US politics, “pork” refers to spending on projects in lawmakers’ constituencies.
Musk has previously vowed to fund campaign challenges against any Republican that votes against Trump’s agenda. But on Tuesday, he fired a warning to those who backed the bill.
“In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people,” he wrote.
NKONKONSA.com
