Washington, D.C. – President Donald Trump has suggested that the country’s immigration enforcement could be used against Elon Musk, after the Tesla CEO and former White House ally criticized the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a major tax and spending bill that Trump is pushing through the Senate.
In a statement made Tuesday as he left the White House for a visit to an immigration detention facility in Florida, Trump was asked whether Musk, a naturalized American citizen originally from South Africa, could face deportation in retaliation for his criticism of the bill. Trump responded with ambiguity, saying, “I don’t know. We’ll have to take a look.”
The President’s Comments on “DOGE” and Musk
Trump went on to suggest that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an agency Musk previously led during Trump’s second term, might be turned on him. This department, initially intended as a cost-cutting initiative, had morphed under Musk’s leadership into an entity that targeted government agencies for ideological reasons.
“We might have to put DOGE on Elon,” Trump said. “You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon.”
This remark referred to the efforts of DOGE, which under Musk’s guidance, famously dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in a controversial move that critics described as reckless. Musk’s tenure as an unpaid special government employee ended in May after he was denied an extension to stay on the job.
Musk’s Criticism of the Spending Bill
Since leaving the White House, Musk has become a vocal critic of the spending package that Trump has been promoting as part of his broader anti-immigrant agenda.
The bill, which is still under debate in the Senate, aims to fund Trump’s key priorities, including immigration enforcement, while bypassing the normal appropriations process.
Musk has used X, the social media platform he owns, to amplify criticism of the bill, suggesting it would negatively impact America’s national debt. He has also threatened to support electoral challenges against lawmakers who vote in favor of the bill.
Trump’s Retaliation and Alleged Financial Motives
Trump has accused Musk of opposing the bill not due to concerns about the national debt, but because he stands to lose tax incentives that benefit his electric vehicle company, Tesla.
Trump has previously claimed on Truth Social that Musk receives “more subsidy than any human being in history” and insinuated that without federal support, Musk’s businesses might struggle to survive.
“He’s upset … that he’s losing his EV mandate… he’s very upset about things,” Trump said. “But you know, he could lose a lot more than that. I should tell you, right? Elon can lose a lot more than that,” Trump added, suggesting that Musk’s financial interests were behind his opposition to the bill.
Musk Responds With Restraint
Musk has not directly responded to the president’s threats but did offer a cryptic response on X to the viral video of Trump’s comments. He wrote, “So tempting to escalate this. So, so tempting. But I will refrain for now.”
This exchange signals that the tension between Trump and Musk could escalate further in the coming days, especially if the dispute over the spending bill continues to intensify.
The Broader Context: Musk and Trump’s Relationship
Musk and Trump were once seen as close allies, with Musk serving in the early days of Trump’s second term to help streamline government operations through DOGE.
However, Musk’s evolving public stance on political and economic matters has distanced him from Trump, especially as the president’s policies have become more aligned with conservative values and immigration enforcement.
This conflict between Trump and Musk represents a significant rift between two figures who were previously on the same side in pushing for business-friendly policies and deregulation.