President Donald Trump warned that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is a ‘monster that might have to go back and eat Elon,’ after tech billionaire Elon Musk intensified his attacks on Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill.’
‘DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn’t that be terrible?’ Trump told the media Tuesday morning as he departed for a trip to the Florida Everglades to visit a new migrant detention center. ‘He gets a lot of subsidies. But, Elon was very upset that the EV mandate is going to be terminated.’
His response followed a question regarding whether he would deport Musk, who is originally from South Africa. Trump responded, ‘I don’t know, we’ll have to take a look.’
Trump previously told the media in June that his relationship with Musk changed when the president began discussing plans to eliminate the electic vehicle mandate, which would affect Musk’s signature electric company, Tesla. Trump signed a trio of congressional resolutions on June 12 ending California’s restrictive rules for diesel engines and mandates on elective vehicle sales, with Trump celebrating that his signature ‘will kill the California mandates forever.’
‘When you look at it … not everybody wants an electric car,’ Trump continued in his remarks regarding Musk on Tuesday morning. ‘I don’t want an electric car. I want to have maybe gasoline. Maybe electric, maybe a hybrid. Maybe some day a hydrogen. You have a hydrogen car, it has one problem: it blows up.’
Musk shot back in response to a video clip of Trump’s remarks Tuesday morning that he would not continue escalating the feud ‘for now.’
‘So tempting to escalate this. So, so tempting. But I will refrain for now,’ Musk posted X.
Musk intensified his feud with former close ally Trump this week in a political warning to lawmakers that he will work to unseat them if they vote in support of Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill.’
‘Anyone who campaigned on the PROMISE of REDUCING SPENDING , but continues to vote on the BIGGEST DEBT ceiling increase in HISTORY will see their face on this poster in the primary next year,’ Musk posted to X Monday evening.
The message was accompanied by an image of Pinocchio sitting on fire and the caption, ‘LIAR Voted to increase America’s DEBT by 5,000,000,000.00’
Musk previously served as a special government employee with the Trump administration to help lead DOGE, frequently attended Cabinet meetings and joined Trump during public events. Musk’s tenure with DOGE wrapped up at the end of May, as negotiations over the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ intensified in Congress.
The budget reconciliation bill, if passed, will advance Trump’s agenda on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt. The legislation is currently before the Senate.
Musk found himself aligned with a handful of Republican lawmakers, like Kentucky’s Sen. Rand Paul, who have spoken out against the legislation, arguing it would increase the debt ceiling by $5 trillion.
Musk’s post threatening to primary Republicans who vote in support of the legislation was followed by a late-night Truth Social message from Trump suggesting, ‘DOGE take a good, hard, look’ at how government subsidies assist Musk-owned businesses such as Tesla and SpaceX.
‘Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa. No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE. Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!’ Trump posted after midnight Tuesday.
The post continued, ‘Elon Musk knew, long before he so strongly Endorsed me for President, that I was strongly against the EV Mandate. It is ridiculous, and was always a major part of my campaign. Electric cars are fine, but not everyone should be forced to own one.’
Trump added in comment to the media from the White House Tuesday morning that Musk is ‘upset is that he’s losing his EV mandate.’
‘He could lose a lot more than that,’ Trump added. ‘I can tell you right now.’
Musk first remarked in May that he was ‘disappointed’ Trump’s ‘one big beautiful bill’ passed the House, arguing it ‘undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,’ before publicly working to rally Republican lawmakers to ‘kill the bill’ in messages posted to X.
‘Call your Senator, Call your Congressman,’ Musk said amid a flurry of similar posts June 4. ‘Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL.’
Musk had kept his criticisms of the legislation quiet in recent days, including posting messages in support of the Trump administration as anti-ICE riots raged in Los Angeles in June. Musk reignited his criticisms of the bill Monday as the July 4 deadline to pass the ‘big beautiful bill’ looms over Washington this week.
‘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,’ Musk posted to X Monday afternoon.
‘What’s the point of a debt ceiling if we keep raising it?’ Musk asked in another post early Tuesday morning. Adding in another: ‘All I’m asking is that we don’t bankrupt America.’