ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Elon Musk has launched an attack on U.S. President Donald Trump’s signature spending bill on Tuesday, branding it a “disgusting abomination” as tensions between the two billionaires intensified following Musk’s exit from the Trump administration.
The tech mogul, who stepped down last week from his official role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), had previously been praised by Trump for leading aggressive federal spending cuts.
However, a growing rift between the pair has now spilled into the open.
“This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination,” Musk posted on X, marking his harshest public criticism of Trump’s fiscal plans.
“Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong.”
While Musk had earlier expressed concerns about the bill, nicknamed by Trump as his “big, beautiful bill”, the Tuesday’s remarks signaled a dramatic escalation.
The bill, which remains under congressional review, is projected to add $3 trillion to the U.S. deficit over a decade, even as it slashes funding for health and food assistance programs.
Previously, Musk had only remarked that the legislation undermined his cost-cutting agenda. Now, he warns it will saddle American citizens with unsustainable debt.
“The bill would burden citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt,” he said.
The outburst underscores the deepening hostility between Musk and the Trump White House, despite the former having donated nearly $300 million to Trump’s election campaign. Musk’s recent statements suggest growing disillusionment with the administration he once enthusiastically served.
READ ALSO: Elon Musk To Head Trump’s Department Of Government Efficiency
The White House quickly issued a response to Musk’s remarks through Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
“The president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill, it doesn’t change his opinion,” she told reporters.
“This is one big, beautiful bill, and he’s sticking to it.”
When Musk stepped down as Trump’s cost-cutter-in-chief, the departure was painted as amicable. Trump praised Musk’s “incredible service,” even declaring that Musk was “really not leaving” the administration. At the time, their relationship appeared to remain intact.
Musk was once among Trump’s closest allies, frequently accompanying him on Air Force One, Marine One, and even appearing together at Mar-a-Lago, the president’s Florida resort. Musk’s DOGE team composed mostly of young, tech-savvy “bros” executed sweeping and ideologically driven cuts across the federal bureaucracy.
This included laying off tens of thousands of government workers, shuttering entire agencies, and dramatically reducing foreign aid.
Despite this aggressive approach, DOGE fell far short of its goal to slash $2 trillion in federal spending. While the DOGE website claims to have saved taxpayers 8% of that target about $175 billionfact-checkers have cast doubt on the figure, citing past inaccuracies in government accounting.
An independent watchdog group, the *Musk Watch DOGE Tracker*, puts the confirmed savings at just \$16 billion—less than 1% of the original target.
Meanwhile, pressure is mounting on Musk from other fronts. Tesla shareholders have demanded his return as the company’s sales slump and public protests grow. Simultaneously, SpaceX is grappling with a series of highly publicized rocket failures.
Musk’s dramatic departure and open criticism of Trump’s marquee legislation signal a rupture that could reshape conservative politicsand the billionaire’s own political future as the 2026 midterms and 2028 presidential race approach.
