Former Doge Leader Musk Breaks Ranks with Trump Over Controversial Spending Bill

The relationship between Elon Musk and Donald Trump appears to be fracturing as the billionaire entrepreneur publicly denounces the president’s flagship tax legislation. Musk, who previously headed Trump’s government efficiency initiative, told CBS that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act undermines the very cost-cutting principles he was tasked with implementing during his brief tenure in the administration.
The $2.3 trillion spending package represents a significant departure from fiscal conservatism, despite including substantial cuts to social programs like Medicaid and food stamps. The bill allocates massive funding for border wall construction and immigration enforcement while simultaneously extending corporate tax breaks, creating what critics call a contradictory approach to government spending.
Musk’s departure from the Trump administration in April, following Tesla’s earnings collapse and his unsuccessful investment in a Supreme Court race, now appears to have been the beginning of a broader philosophical split. His recent comments suggest growing frustration with what he perceives as Trump’s abandonment of fiscal discipline, potentially setting up a public battle between two of America’s most prominent figures.