Elon Musk’s political clash with President Donald Trump has reignited, and this time, it’s personal and financial. The tech mogul has slammed Trump’s latest tax-and-spending package and threatened to create a new political party in retaliation. Trump, in turn, hinted Musk might face consequences, even floating the idea of deportation.
The feud, once buried beneath a shared alliance, now exposes deep divisions between the Republican president and one of his former biggest backers. Musk, who contributed over $250 million to Trump’s 2024 campaign via America PAC, had claimed he would scale back his political spending. But his recent moves suggest he may be gearing up to re-enter the fray.
On Monday, Musk unleashed a barrage of criticism against congressional Republicans, mocking them as the “PORKY PIG PARTY!!” for backing a bill that adds $5 trillion to the debt ceiling. He described the legislation as “political suicide,” and pledged to support challengers to Republicans who voted for it.
READ ALSO: Elon Musk slams GOP tax bill as job-killer, warns of ‘strategic harm’
Responding to a post by former Rep. Justin Amash asking for help to boost Rep. Thomas Massie, a staunch critic of the bill, Musk wrote simply, “I will.” Massie is now a target of a new Trump-aligned super PAC intent on ousting GOP dissenters.
By Tuesday morning, Musk had doubled down, replying “You’re awesome” to an X post from Massie that referenced Musk’s support. This public alignment comes weeks after a public breakdown in the Trump-Musk alliance, with President Donald Trump threatening Musk’s business interests, and Musk calling for Trump’s impeachment.
At the heart of Musk’s fury is the rollback of Biden-era green energy tax breaks, a key blow to Tesla, the electric vehicle giant he leads. Both chambers’ bills scale back incentives for EVs and related tech. Musk has labeled the package a “disgusting abomination.”
Trump fired back on social media, mocking Elon Musk’s business model. “Without subsidies, he’d probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa,” the president posted. He added, “Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!”
READ ALSO: “They went too far” – Elon Musk expresses regret after public feud with Trump
Pressed later at the White House on whether Musk could face deportation, Trump reportedly didn’t dismiss the idea. “I don’t know, I mean, we’ll have to take a look,” he said, before referencing DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, the entity Musk once led for Trump. “DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon,” he quipped.
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Amid the back-and-forth, Musk floated the idea of launching a third party. Overnight, he reposted a poll he conducted last month on X asking if the country needs a party “that actually represents the 80% in the middle?”
By Monday afternoon, he had a name: the “America Party.” If the spending bill passes, Musk warned, “the U.S. needs an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uniparty so that the people actually have a VOICE.”
Meanwhile, the Senate narrowly passed President Donald Trump’s sprawling tax and spending plan on Tuesday, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote in a deadlocked 50-50 chamber.
