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Dow Jones NewsJun 4, 10:18 PM UTC
DJ Trump Is Losing Patience With Musk's Outbursts Over Megabill -- Update
By Brian Schwartz, Natalie Andrews and Olivia Beavers
WASHINGTON -- President Trump is losing patience with Elon Musk after the billionaire attacked Republicans' sprawling tax-and-spending bill. Musk is irked about Trump's decision to withdraw the nomination of a key ally to lead the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The result is a fraying relationship between two of the world's most powerful men.
A senior White House official said Trump wasn't happy about Musk's decision to lambaste his signature legislation, describing the president as confused as to why the Tesla chief executive decided to ratchet up his criticism after working so closely with the president for four months. The official said senior Trump advisers were caught off guard by Musk's latest offensive.
The uneasy alliance between the two men was also strained by a recent move by the White House to nix Trump's nominee to run NASA, Jared Isaacman, according to people familiar with the matter. Musk, a close ally of Isaacman, had advocated for him to get the job.
The decision infuriated Musk, who complained to associates over the weekend that he had donated hundreds of millions of dollars to help get Trump elected in last year's campaign, only to see Isaacman's nomination pulled, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said. Musk's frustration over the NASA episode made him more willing to aggressively criticize the tax bill, people close to him said. Musk didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a series of social-media posts this week, the billionaire called the tax bill a "disgusting abomination," and he threatened to try to oust GOP lawmakers for backing what he calls an "abhorrent" package of deficit-fueling spending.
On Wednesday afternoon, Musk launched another broadside against the legislation, demanding his over 200 million followers on X call senators and House lawmakers to "KILL the BILL." Trump posted on Truth Social, without comment, an image of Musk's departure message from last week.
Trump and Musk have often praised each other in public, with the president organizing a fawning send-off for the billionaire in the Oval Office last week as he wrapped up his work leading the Department of Government Efficiency. But the chumminess has masked flashes of skepticism and frustration from Trump and his aides in recent months, as Musk has criticized the president's trade agenda and clashed with his advisers.
Asked whether Trump and Musk continue to have a strong relationship, a White House official said it is too soon to tell. The official said Trump can be forgiving, but he doesn't forget slights like this.
Even before the billionaire's ramped-up attacks on the tax bill, some Trump allies worried that Musk would feel more free to criticize the administration after he left the White House. Some administration officials encouraged lawmakers on Capitol Hill to post positive social-media posts thanking Musk for his service out of hope such praise could avoid future confrontations, according to people familiar with the effort.
Musk has long harbored frustrations with the tax bill, raising concerns about provisions in the legislation that repeal tax credits for electric vehicles, people close to him said. Musk's car company, Tesla, is one of the world's largest manufacturers of electric vehicles. He is also the founder of SpaceX, which has government contracts with NASA. Isaacman has ties to SpaceX, including flying on the company's first private flight to orbit.
White House officials privately dismissed Musk's criticisms, arguing that he was focused on his business interests rather than the public interest.
After Trump withdrew the NASA nomination, Musk defended Isaacman in a post on X. "It is rare to find someone so competent and good-hearted," Musk said. Isaacman has told associates he believes Musk's departure gave the administration an opening to oust him, according to people familiar with the matter.
White House officials disputed that the move was aimed at removing a Musk ally from the administration, arguing it instead stemmed from Isaacman's past donations to Democrats. Isaacman noted in a recent podcast interview that White House officials had been aware of the donations for months.
Musk's moves have further complicated Republicans' narrow path to passage of the megabill, which includes tax cuts and border spending, partially offset by trims to Medicaid, clean-energy tax credits and food aid.
Musk's tweets re-energized the spending hawks in the Republican Party, but it wasn't clear if it would shift the needle given Trump's strong backing of the current package. The House passed the bill last month, and now the Senate is expected to make changes, which would then need to be approved again by the House before heading to Trump's desk by a self-imposed July 4 deadline.
"This is Donald Trump's signature achievement. This is important to him. Members had better think three or four times before they decide to get in the way of this victory," said Rep. Dusty Johnson (R., S.D.), chair of the GOP Main Street Caucus.
The House bill has more than $1.2 trillion in spending cuts over a decade, and administration officials are hailing it as a historic step toward fiscal responsibility. But the bill would increase budget deficits by $2.4 trillion over the period, compared with doing nothing, according to a new Congressional Budget Office estimate released Wednesday.
Just six months ago, Musk's barrage of social-media posts triggered a mutiny of Republicans to kill a government spending bill right before Christmas, forcing hasty rewrites by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.). But that doesn't appear to be happening in this case -- at least not yet. Trump and GOP leaders have stuck with their plan, subject to some adjustments, while cognizant of the difficult math that means even a handful of Republican defectors in the House or Senate could sink the bill, given united Democratic opposition.
Johnson said Wednesday he was blindsided by Musk's criticism. He said he spoke to Musk on Monday and walked him through the savings, policy prescriptions and tax revenue that Republicans argue the bill will bring in.
"We had a great, very friendly, very fruitful conversation together," Johnson said at his weekly press conference. "Twenty-four hours later, he does a 180 and he comes out against the bill. And it surprised me, frankly." Johnson said he called Musk on Tuesday night and hopes to talk to him on Wednesday, but Musk hasn't yet returned his call.
Johnson argued Musk is "flat wrong" in this case, adding that Trump is "not delighted that Elon did a 180." But Johnson says he himself is "not upset by this."
Rep. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.), one of the two House Republicans who voted against the bill in the House last month, was pleased Musk was speaking out.
"I figured he would eventually get there," said Massie, who noted the two haven't spoken on the issue. "You don't land rockets backwards or get cars to drive themselves by ignoring the people who are lying to you."
Write to Brian Schwartz at brian.schwartz@wsj.com, Natalie Andrews at natalie.andrews@wsj.com and Olivia Beavers at Olivia.Beavers@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 04, 2025 18:18 ET (22:18 GMT)
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