Elon Musk issues the strongest political threat... and Trump responds: Without support, you would have closed your factory and returned to South Africa!!
After announcing his withdrawal from the political spotlight, Elon Musk returned to it directly; while the U.S. Senate was discussing President Donald Trump's "massive and beautiful" spending bill on Monday, before the final vote, Musk issued a stark warning via his social media platform "X."
Musk wrote: "Every member of Congress who campaigned on the basis of reducing government spending, then immediately voted for the largest increase in debt in history, should be ashamed of themselves! They will lose the primary elections next year if this is the last thing I do on this earth."
A few hours later, Elon Musk went further, announcing on "X" that if the "crazy spending bill" is passed, a Party for America will be formed the next day.
He wrote: "Our country needs an alternative to the one-party system of the Democratic-Republican party so that the people can actually have a voice."
In a late-night post on social media, Trump responded to Musk and threatened to direct the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) against the technology billionaire.
Trump wrote on his page on his platform "Truth Social": "Elon Musk may have received far greater financial support than any human in history, and without financial support, he would likely have closed his factory and returned to South Africa. We wouldn't see rocket launches or satellites or electric car production anymore, and our country would save a tremendous amount of wealth. Maybe we should ask the Department of Government Efficiency to take a close and serious look at this? Huge amounts of money could be saved!!!"
For weeks, Musk has harshly criticized Trump's bill, leading to an ugly public battle with Trump earlier last month. In a series of "X" posts several weeks ago, Musk suggested forming a new political party.
This proposal resurfaced again on Monday when Musk said, "Clearly, with the crazy spending of this law that raises the debt ceiling by a record amount of five trillion dollars, we are living in a one-party country - the 'Porky Pig' party! It's time to establish a new political party that actually cares about the people."
Musk's decision to support candidates planning to launch primary campaigns against congressional members is one of the most significant tangible political threats he has made since leaving his position as a White House advisor. Musk has spent more than $275 million supporting Trump and other Republican candidates in the 2024 elections. In late May, he stated in an interview that he plans to reduce political spending, explaining that he has "done enough."
According to Federal Election Commission records, Musk's political action committee, America PAC, last contributed funds in March to support Republican candidates running in special elections in Florida, namely Randy Fine and Jimmy Patronis.
Musk has long supported closing borders, deportation, and stopping illegal immigration, in line with the Trump administration.
However, it seems that the domestic policy bill has sparked a dispute between the CEO of Tesla and the White House. Musk argued that the Republican bill would increase the debt, calling it "debt slavery."
The Senate bill would add nearly $3.3 trillion to the deficit over the next decade, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office released on Sunday. The Senate legislation costs more than the bill approved by the House of Representatives, which would add $2.4 trillion to the deficit over the next decade.
The Senate bill package includes larger tax cuts, less spending cuts, and provisions that would increase revenue. The White House argued that the bill "reduces the deficit" and the debt while unleashing "economic growth."
The Trump administration and some Republicans in the Senate chose not to include the cost of extending Trump's 2017 tax cuts in their calculations of the bill's impact on the federal deficit.
Although Musk said that the elimination of electric vehicle (EV) and solar energy subsidies in the bill is not the reason for his opposition to the legislation, he complained that the bill "grants privileges to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future."
In his post on "Truth Social," Trump defended his position against electric vehicle mandates, stating: "Elon Musk knew long before his strong support for me for president that I was strongly opposed to mandating electric vehicles. It's ridiculous, and it has always been a key part of my campaign. Electric vehicles are good, but everyone shouldn't be forced to own one."