Elon Musk Fallsout with Trump, Slams Trump's “Big, Beautiful” Spending Bill For Undoing His Hardwork

Elon Musk, who was once the sole confidant and key architect of President Donald Trump’s government cost-cutting drive, has publicly criticized Trump’s signature tax and spending bill—signaling a sharp rift between the tech titan and the President he helped return to power in 2024.

In a candid interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Musk expressed his disappointment with the recently passed House bill, which was hailed by President Trump as a "big, beautiful bill".

#VantageOnFirstpost: Donald Trump and Elon Musk were once the ultimate power duo, money, influence, and big egos. But the bromance is cracking. Musk is now slamming Trump’s new “Big and Beautiful” tax bill for ballooning the federal deficit. @palkisu tells you more. pic.twitter.com/r0e8XbanLf
— Firstpost (@firstpost) May 28, 2025
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The bill features a multi-trillion-dollar tax break and a major boost in defense spending. The legislation, which is now head to the senate, could see an increase in the U.S deficit by an estimated $600 billion by the next fiscal year.

In his interview with CBS, Musk stated his concern of how the bill would increase the budget deficit and not just decrease it.

Musk, who previously served as Trump’s “cost-cutting czar” and led the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), argued that the bill undermines the very mission he was tasked with: reducing government waste and reining in spending.

Musk later also jokingly said that while a bill can be either big or beautiful, it cannot be both at the same time.

“It undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” Musk said. “A bill can be big or beautiful. I don’t know if it can be both.”

Growing Tensions Within the GOP

Musk’s comments highlights the growing divisions within the Republican Party over Trump’s fiscal agenda. The bill’s passage through the House was fraught with dissent from different wings of the party, reflecting broader unease about the scale of government spending and the rising national debt.

Trump, speaking from the Oval Office, acknowledged that even he himself was having mixed feelings about the legislature, revealing that there were some aspects of the bill that he doesn't like.

"I'm not happy about certain aspects. But it's the big beautiful bill. And it's beautiful because of all the things we have."

When asked, Trump avoided directly responding to Musk's criticism.

Long a policy priority of Trump's, the legislation pledges to extend soon-to-expire tax cuts passed during hs first aadminstiration in 2017, as well as provide an influx of money for defence spending and to fund the president's mass deportations.

The bill also proposes increasing to $4tn the debt ceiling-meaning the limit on the amount of money the government can borrow to pay its bills.

Musk Gets Himself Burned By Politics

The billionaire’s intervention comes as he steps back from political spending and his high-profile government role.

Musk's rise into politics follows his $250 million donation to the Trump campaign. During Trump's campaign, Musk could also be seen at every single venue standing at the forefront and championing for the the presidential candidate.

After Trump's inauguration, he roped Musk in to take charge of DOGE. During his short tenure, Musk dished out a slew of controversial bills to slash federal jobs and foreign aid.

But as Musk's political power grew, so did his hate. Because of his political run and relationship with Trump, his company Tesla suffered a massive blow as he sees the sale of his electric vehicles and shares plummet.

Tesla has also faced protest, boycotts and declining sales because of Musk's political activities and sweeping layoffs of federal workers.

With his tenure soon coming to an end, he has vowed to pivot his focus back on Tesla and slowly shift out of the political scene.

Despite DOGE’s claim of saving $175 billion in government spending, a BBC analysis suggests the true impact is difficult to verify.

Musk stands by his record, saying

“I did what needed to be done.”

Fallout for Musk and Tesla

The first crack between Musk and Trump was first revealed after Musks revealed that he regretted wasting $250 million on Trump's campaign.

This statement came during his speech at the Qatar Economic Forum, where Musk stated that he would be spending a lot less on political contributions in the future.

"I think, in terms of political spending, I'm going to do a lot less in the future. I think I've done enough."

However, he has left the door open to future involvement.

"If I see a reason to do poltiical spending in the future, I will do it. I do not currently see a reason."

While some might think that Musk said this because of the backlash he was getting from his poltiical endeavors, but I think what really ticked Musk off was the fact that Trump didn't extend Musk's tenure at DOGE.

When Musk's tenure was expiring and the world was still speculating if Musk would continue to work at DOGE, Trump's response to the questions was cold.

During the interview, Trump said that he would love to continue having Musk around, but he (Musk) has his own company to handle.

This felt like Trump's dejection of Trump, and this could be the beginning of the crack in their friendship.

For now, we still do not know what their friendship is like at the moment. Are their friends, enemies, or just friendemies?