Elon Musk watches as President Donald Trump meets South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. (AP/Evan Vucci)
He added the next day that the bill's "immense level of overspending will drive America into debt slavery!" This was followed by a stream of X posts calling on Americans to encourage their lawmakers to "kill the bill" as well as a "KILL BILL" meme of the 2003 movie with the same name.
Musk has found himself aligned with members of the House Freedom Caucus, which is considered the most conservative voting bloc within the lower chamber, as well as staunch fiscal conservatives in the Senate, such as Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Wisconsin Sen. Ron. Johnson, who have publicly rebuked the legislation.
ELON MUSK 'DISAPPOINTED' BY TRUMP'S SPENDING BILL, SAYS IT UNDERMINES WHAT DOGE IS DOING
Paul said Monday that its potential passage would increase the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, calling the bill a "terrible idea" that bucks conservative ideas.
The national debt currently stands at about $36 trillion. The Congressional Budget Office, an independent government agency, published a June report that the bill would increase the deficit by $2.4 trillion throughout the next decade.
"I want the tax cuts to be permanent. But at the same time, I don't wanna raise the debt ceiling five trillion," Paul told CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday. "The GOP will own the debt once they vote for this."
Trump has admonished the criticism from fiscally conservative Republicans, arguing that Paul, for example, was on the verge of siding with the "Radical Left Democrats" and encouraging a 68% tax hike on Americans if he votes against the legislation.
"Rand will be playing right into the hands of the Democrats, and the GREAT people of Kentucky will never forgive him! The GROWTH we are experiencing, plus some cost cutting later on, will solve ALL problems. America will be greater than ever before!" Trump posted to Truth Social Saturday of Paul.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt listens during a briefing with reporters at the White House, on May 9. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)
Trump spoke publicly about Musk's criticisms Thursday from the Oval Office during a meeting with the chancellor of Germany, remarking he was "disappointed" with Musk's rebukes.
"I'm very disappointed, because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here, better than you people," Trump said in the Oval Office. "He knew everything about it. He had no problem with it. All of a sudden he had a problem, and he only developed the problem when he found out that we're going to have to cut the EV mandate, because that's billions and billions of dollars, and it really is unfair."
"Elon and I had a great relationship," Trump added. "I don’t know if we will anymore."
Musk's leadership of DOGE came to an official end May 28 as his time as a special government employee ran dry of its 130 predetermined days. While in the role, Musk became a common target of liberal ire as he led efforts to remove fraud, corruption and overspending from federal departments and agencies across the government, which included cutting government programs and mass layoffs.
All in, the Department of Government Efficiency touts that it has saved an estimated $180 billion through initiatives such as grant or contract cancellations, workforce reductions or stamping out fraud. Musk's efforts on DOGE have been celebrated by conservatives and Republicans, who frequently campaign on cutting government fat.
"It is time to cut red tape, hold the unchecked federal workforce accountable, ensure programs are efficient, & work with @DOGE to tackle waste, fraud, & abuse," House Oversight Chair James Comer, R-Ky., Comer posted on X in December 2024 ahead of DOGE's official launch.
"Iowans elected me with a mandate to cut Washington’s pork!" Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said in December 2024. "From billion-dollar boondoggles to welfare for politicians and trillion-dollar slush funds, my decade-long investigations have exposed levels of abuse that are almost too insane to believe."
GOP SENATORS EXPRESS 'CONCERNS,' 'SKEPTICISM' OVER TRUMP'S SPENDING BILL AFTER MUSK RANT
The tech billionaire behind Tesla and Space X previously described himself as a Democrat and centrist before making a public political shift to the right amid Trump's run for the presidency and inauguration – including repeatedly taking stances that fall in line with conservative ideology.
Musk endorsed Trump for the presidency in July 2024, after Trump faced his first assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. He later joined the political fray through campaign events promoting Trump's candidacy in key battleground states.
Before Trump's win, Musk railed from the campaign trail that the federal government had become bloated with overspending and red tape that he said hampers private sector innovation.
President Donald Trump listens to a question during an event in the Oval Office of the White House, May 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
"The operation of the free market is so essential, not only to promote productive efficiency, but even more to foster harmony and peace among the peoples of the world," he said.
Musk also recently shared a quote from Sowell on the history of slavery in the U.S.
"It's one of many evils that the Left tries to localize when it's a universal evil,'" Sowell was seen saying in a video post on X that was reshared by Musk on Jan. 11 with the caption "True."
ELON MUSK CRITICISM OF TRUMP TAX BILL FRUSTRATES SOME REPUBLICANS: 'NO PLACE IN CONGRESS'
Musk also doubled down on strong endorsements of the Second Amendment while on the campaign trail, posting on X in October 2024 that "tyrannical government" works to take guns from citizens in an effort to snuff out free speech.
"The right to bear arms is there to protect free speech and stop a tyrannical government from taking your rights away! That’s why the first thing that all tyrants do is disarm the people, just like Chavez did when he was first elected. After that, no more real elections in Venezuela," Musk posted to his X account in October 2024.
Elon Musk greets President Donald Trump as they attend the NCAA men's wrestling championships in Philadelphia, March 22, 2025. (Nathan Howard/Reuters)
Musk had previously praised America's Second Amendment, including in 2022 when he said he "strongly (believes) that the right to bear arms is an important safeguard against potential tyranny of government."
His comments while on the campaign trail rallying support for Trump, however, found renewed praise among conservatives in 2024 as they found additional common ground with the tech billionaire.
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DOGE is still operating following Musk's departure. The temporary cross-departmental organization will be dissolved on July 4, 2026, according to Trump's executive order that established the organization in January.
Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Elkind and Eric Revell contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/kill-bill-elon-musks-conservative-evolution-puts-him-odds-trump-key-legislation