Musk Critiques Trump’s Key Legislation, Signaling Shift in Relations
By Chris Megerian, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur and former senior adviser to President Donald Trump, has publicly criticized a key piece of Trump’s legislative agenda, marking a significant shift in their previously solid partnership. Musk, who invested around $250 million in support of Trump’s campaign, expressed his disappointment over the president’s “big beautiful bill,” which combines tax cuts with enhanced immigration enforcement.
In a recent CBS interview, Musk labeled the legislation as a "massive spending bill" that threatens to increase the federal deficit and undermines efforts of his Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE. "I think a bill can be big or it could be beautiful," he remarked, “but I don’t know if it could be both.”
As the bill moves through Congress, receiving recent backing in the House and currently under Senate debate, Musk has opted to step back from his governmental role to focus on his companies, including Tesla and SpaceX. He has indicated plans to reduce his political donations, stating, “I think I’ve done enough.” His experience in government has left him somewhat chastened; he noted, “The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realized.”
Previously, Musk expressed high hopes for reshaping Washington, having praised Trump multiple times during the campaign. Despite this newfound criticism, the implications of Musk’s remarks on the legislative process remain uncertain, as Trump continues to wield considerable influence within the Republican Party, with many aligned lawmakers reluctant to oppose his agenda.
Musk’s pivot from enthusiastic support to skepticism signals a complicated evolution in relations between the tech entrepreneur and the administration he once staunchly backed.
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