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Your ultimate authority for daily Elon Musk news.
Exploring the world's biggest ideas with your host, Will Walden. There's something new every day. Elon Musk instructed his 200 million ex-followers to kill the bill on Wednesday, intensifying his tax on Donald Trump and his signature spending legislation in a nonstop stream of posts. He called the bill a disgusting abomination, claimed it would bankrupt the country, and accused Congress of failing the American people.
The comments marked a new peak in Musk's opposition campaign, which has grown louder and more aggressive over the past 48 hours. Now, Musk, who had dialed back his political posting in recent months, returned in force this week with more than 25 posts and reposts
hammering this legislation. He framed the bill as dangerous and fiscally irresponsible, writing, In another post, he urged followers to pressure lawmakers directly, saying, Okay.
Now, House Speaker Mike Johnson responded to Musk's criticisms on Wednesday morning, saying Musk was flat wrong about the bill's effect on the deficit. Johnson told reporters that he tried to call Musk Tuesday night to discuss the issue, but Elon Musk didn't answer him. In a video posted by Johnson in comments, Musk fired back, we need a new bill that doesn't grow the deficit. And then he posted, no one who actually reads the bill should be able to stomach it.
Johnson pushed back harder during a media gaggle outside his office. He defended the bill's content and scope, stating that we don't have time for a brand new bill. He described the legislation as complex and praised it. He called record-setting tax cuts and savings for Americans. Johnson said Musk should recognize the complexity of what we've accomplished here and dismiss the idea of starting over.
Now, Musk's latest offensive follows earlier comments this week, where he called the Trump-backed bill "massive, outrageous porkfield." His posts have amplified criticisms from other lawmakers, like Senators Rand Paul and Mike Lee, who also oppose the bill for its projected impact on the national deficit. Analysts from the Congressional Budget Office estimate the bill will add over a trillion dollars to the deficit, even after accounting for expected economic growth.
Now, beyond concerns over the deficit, Musk's disapproval appears to be fueled by several personal and business grievances. Multiple people who have spoken to Musk and Trump in recent weeks describe a growing rift between them. Sources said that Musk privately objected to a provision in the bill that would eliminate tax credits for electric vehicles. That's a decision that directly affects Tesla's competitiveness in the EV market.
Now, although Musk had previously said he supported phasing out EV tax credits, Tesla's position has shifted. The company now argues that eliminating energy tax credits too quickly would threaten America's energy independence and the reliability of our grid.
Tesla posted that message earlier this week as Congress debated the bill. Frustration has also been building over the Trump administration's artificial intelligence partnerships. According to sources familiar with the situation, Elon Musk was angered by the White House's recent collaboration with OpenAI. That's...
a company that Elon Musk has co-founded but has since criticized. The deal reportedly excluded Musk's current AI company, which sources say contributed to his increasingly public dissatisfaction with the administration. Another blow came with the quiet withdrawal of Jared Isaacman's nomination to lead NASA. Isaacman, who is a known ally of Musk and the pilot of several...
SpaceX missions had been tapped for the administrator role, but was dropped from consideration over the weekend. Sources close to Musk said he viewed the move as a personal snub and a sign of shifting allegiances inside the Trump administration. Now, tensions have also resurfaced on trade policy.
In April, Musk lashed out at Trump's trade advisor, Peter Navarro, calling him a moron and dumber than a sack of bricks in multiple ex-posts. Tesla executives later said Musk had underestimated how harmful the administration's tariffs would be to companies' supply chain and foreign manufacturing operations. And the White House declined to comment on Musk's latest statements. Representative for Musk also did not respond to our request for comment. And despite the silence from official channels, the rift between Trump
and Musk is growing more visible. Musk's rapid-fire posts were already shaping the political narrative around the bill, with some Democrats even seizing the moment. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer brought a printout of Musk's post to a news conference, telling reporters he's right, Republicans should listen to him. The One Big Bill, One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed the House under pressure from Trump and his team, who framed opposition as disloyalty.
but the bill faces a difficult path in the Senate where some Republican fiscal conservatives are demanding deeper cuts and threatening to stall the legislation unless Medicaid and other safety net programs are further reduced. Trump has publicly warned Republicans not to touch Medicaid, recognizing the many of his supporters rely on it. That warning puts him at odds with the same conservatives that Musk is now amplifying. And as internal GOP battles intensify,
Musk's voice and his threat to fund primary challenges is adding pressure from outside Capitol Hill. Elon has escalated his campaign against Trump's mega bill.
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Weaponizing X and Influence to Challenge both the substance of the legislation and the administration's broader direction.
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