Donald Trump made his first comments about Elon Musk since his billionaire ally went on a tirade about the president’s chief legislative effort, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“Elon and I have a great relationship,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday. “I don’t know if we will anymore. I was surprised, because you were here, everyone in this room practically was here as we had a wonderful sendoff. He said wonderful things about me.”
Trump’s comments came as Musk, in the past 48 hours, has railed against Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” warning that it would bankrupt the United States. Despite efforts by White House officials to point out where think Musk is wrong, he has not stopped his criticisms on X.
Just before Trump spoke to reporters, Musk posted one of Trump’s past tweets from 2012, in which he wrote, “No member of Congress should be eligible for re-election if our country’s budget is not balanced—deficits not allowed!”
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“I couldn’t agree more!” Musk wrote.
Musk’s broadside against the legislation has threatened the fragile coalition of GOP lawmakers in the House, who passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act by one vote last month. The Senate is now taking up the legislation.
Musk has called for a “slim beautiful bill,” as the current legislation encompassed tax cuts, border security funding and defense all in one massive piece of legislation.
Trump suggested that Musk’s opposition was motivated by the fact that the legislation removes an electric vehicle mandate, which provided subsidies for the purchase of electric vehicles. That is beneficial to Musk’s Tesla.
“Elon knew this from the beginning,” Trump said, referring to his opposition to the subsidies.
As cable networks carried Trump’s remarks, Musk seemed to offer a response. “Whatever. Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill. In the entire history of civilization, there has never been legislation that both big and beautiful. Everyone knows this! Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill. Slim and beautiful is the way.”
The president also suggested that Musk was upset that Trump ended the nomination of Jared Isaacman, an ally of the billionaire, to serve as NASA administrator. Trump said that it was because Isaacman “happened to be a Democrat,” something that he did not think was “appropriate.”
