Elon Musk and Donald Trump Clash Over Controversial Government Spending Bill

Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump escalated their public feud on Thursday, June 5, trading sharp remarks on social media.

The conflict intensified after Musk criticized Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” a government spending package, following Trump’s departure from his special government role on May 30.

Musk dug into Twitter archives to repost Trump’s old tweets that contradict his recent stance on the bill.

In one tweet from January 2013, Trump expressed embarrassment over Republicans extending the debt ceiling. Musk reposted it on X, Twitter’s new name, with the comment, “Wise words.”

Musk also reshared a July 2012 tweet from Trump calling for a balanced budget and no deficits. He added, “I couldn’t agree more!”

Musk questioned if the man who once made those statements was “replaced by a body double,” hinting at Trump’s current contradictory behavior.

Since stepping down from his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk has strongly criticized the spending bill, calling it a “massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill” and an “abomination.”

He condemned those who voted for it, saying, “You know you did wrong.”

Trump had previously praised Musk’s work on the Dogecoin cryptocurrency and even awarded him the “Key to the White House” during their last joint press conference.

However, Musk’s harsh criticism appears to have annoyed Trump.

During a June 5 Oval Office press conference, shortly after Musk’s reposts, Trump expressed disappointment with Musk’s social media attacks.

He claimed Musk was once supportive of the bill until he learned about cuts to the electric vehicle mandate, which Trump said involved billions of dollars.

Trump also mentioned their past good relationship but suggested it may now be over.

Anticipating further personal attacks as Congress nears passing the bill, Trump warned that the feud might escalate.

In response, Musk tweeted that Trump would have lost the 2024 election and Democrats would control the House if Musk hadn’t supported him.

The public spat highlights the tension between the two influential figures as they clash over fiscal policies and political loyalties.

It remains to be seen how this feud will evolve in the coming weeks amid ongoing debates on government spending.