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Elon Musk, once a staunch ally of Donald Trump's fiscal agenda, has voiced strong disapproval of the former president's latest tax and spending bill. In a pointed interview with CBS Sunday Morning, the Tesla CEO said he was "disappointed" by the multi-trillion-dollar legislation, which he believes undermines the cost-cutting initiatives he spearheaded as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The bill, narrowly passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last Thursday, includes the extension of 2017 tax cuts, boosts to defense spending, and a plan to raise the debt ceiling to $4 trillion. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the legislation could inflate the national deficit by $600 billion in the next fiscal year and add approximately $3.8 trillion to the total national debt over a decade.
"I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful. But I don't know if it can be both," Musk quipped during the CBS interview, responding directly to Trump's branding of the proposal as a "big, beautiful bill."
Musk's criticism marks a notable departure from his previous role in helping Trump regain the presidency in 2024. He donated over $250 million to the campaign and was tapped in February to lead DOGE, a task force charged with identifying inefficiencies in federal spending. Under his leadership, DOGE claimed to have saved $175 billion by canceling contracts and reducing government staffing, although a BBC analysis found these figures to be unverifiable.
Despite backlash, including Tesla boycotts and internal dissent, Musk stood by his cost-cutting record. "I did what needed to be done," he said, defending layoffs and the elimination of foreign aid programs as necessary steps to address what he and Trump once framed as "fraud and abuse" in government.
However, the new legislation reverses much of that work. "It increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it," Musk noted, highlighting a core contradiction in the administration's fiscal approach.
Republican infighting over the bill's scope and implications has intensified, with some conservatives uneasy about its size and long-term economic impact. The Senate's pending review is expected to be contentious.
Looking ahead, Musk has pledged to scale back political donations and re-focus on Tesla. "A lot less politics, a lot more building," he stated last week, signaling a step away from Washington's turmoil.
The divergence underscores a broader ideological split within Trump's circle, raising questions about the sustainability of his economic vision, and the loyalties it once commanded.
