President Donald Trump has sent a strong message to Elon Musk, suggesting he might use Musk’s own creation, Doge, to scrutinize billionaires receiving government subsidies.
Trump has publicly criticized Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, for his remarks regarding the “Big Beautiful Bill,” which Trump previously supported. Amid a growing rift between the two, Musk voiced his concerns about the spending bill, arguing it could “destroy millions of jobs in America and cause significant strategic damage to our country.”
Trump, who has been vocal about electric vehicle mandates that would benefit Tesla, seems to rely on government subsidies for Musk’s ventures. He implied that without these subsidies, Musk might have to abandon his business and return to South Africa.
Trump added, “Elon may have received more subsidies than anyone in history, and without them, he might need to close up shop and head back to South Africa. There just wouldn’t be any more rocket launches, satellites, or electric vehicles.”
In a surprising turn, Trump hinted at using Musk’s own creation, DOGE, to investigate these subsidies, saying, “Perhaps we should deploy DOGE to look into this thoroughly? There’s a lot of money to be saved!” Following this statement, Tesla’s stock saw a significant drop in pre-market trading.
Read the full text of Trump’s post on Truth Social:
Elon Musk has known my strong opposition to the EV mandate long before he supported my presidential campaign. It’s absurd and has been a primary focus of my platform. Electric vehicles are acceptable, but it shouldn’t be mandatory for anyone to own them. Elon may receive more subsidies than anyone else. Without them, there would be no more rocket launches, satellites, or electric vehicles, ultimately saving our country a lot of money. Maybe we should seriously consider using DOGE to investigate this? There’s a big opportunity for savings here!
The tension between these two influential figures reportedly began in early June due to differing views on the spending bill, which became a turning point for them. Musk’s criticisms have led to a fallout that many political observers found shocking. Though Musk later reached out to apologize to Trump, the damage to their once strong relationship seems significant, leaving open the possibility for further conflict.
During Musk’s initial fallout with Trump, he even threatened to dismantle the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, critical for transporting crews to the International Space Station. However, shortly after making that announcement, Musk backtracked, stating, “Alright, we won’t be abolishing the Dragon.”
Tensions between President Trump and his former ally Elon Musk remain a topic of interest.
