[Global Times Report by Du Tianqi] Due to disagreements over the “Big and Beautiful” tax and spending bill, US President Donald Trump and entrepreneur Elon Musk once again engaged in a verbal spat. According to Reuters, on the 1st local time, Trump stated that the “Government Efficiency Department” (DOGE) should review the subsidies received by Musk’s companies to help the federal government save “huge” funds. The day before, Musk once again criticized the “Big and Beautiful” bill pushed by Trump, vowing to remove them from office if they supported the bill.
On “Truth Social,” Trump posted: “So far, Elon has received more subsidies than anyone in history. Without subsidies, Elon might have had to shut down and return to his homeland in South Africa. At that point, there would no longer be rocket launches, satellite production, or electric vehicle manufacturing, and our country would save a significant amount of money. Perhaps we should have the Government Efficiency Department take a good look at this issue? It could save us a lot of money!!!” In response to Trump’s post, Musk replied on his social media platform X: “I’m now clear about it, cut all subsidies. Right now.”
On the same day, Trump reiterated that Musk’s dissatisfaction stemmed from losing the support for electric vehicle policies in the “Big and Beautiful” tax and spending bill. Trump also warned Musk, “The loss could be much worse.” When asked whether he might expel Musk, Trump responded, “I don’t know, we’ll have to wait and see.” Following this exchange, Musk forwarded Trump’s interview content on social media X, saying, “I really want to keep going, I really do, but for now, I need to restrain myself.”
After their dispute with Trump, Musk experienced several weeks of relative silence.
On June 28th, local time, Musk rejoined the debate—coinciding with the Senate’s consideration of the bill, he posted on social media platform X stating it was “completely crazy and destructive.” On June 30th, he further intensified his criticism, calling those lawmakers who supported the bill by cutting expenses but not their campaign platforms “shamefully bow their heads!” Musk said, “If this is the last thing I do in this world, they will surely lose in the primary elections next year.” Additionally, Musk once again called for the establishment of a new political party, writing, “It’s time to establish a truly concerned party for the people.”
According to Reuters, Musk’s criticism of the bill has led to a rift between him and Trump, marking a dramatic shift—previously, this tech billionaire had invested nearly $300 million in Trump’s re-election campaign and led the government’s controversial DOGE plan, a federal cost-cutting initiative. Musk stated that the “Big Beautiful” bill would significantly increase national debt and offset the savings achieved through DOGE. It remains unclear how much influence Musk holds over Congress. However, Republicans are concerned that Musk’s sporadic disputes with Trump could affect their chances of retaining a majority in the midterm elections in 2026. This disagreement has also led to fluctuations in Tesla’s stock price—its market value plummeted by about $150 billion at one point, but then recovered.
Furthermore, according to CNN, on June 30th, local time, the U.S. Senate began discussing amendments to the “Big Beautiful” bill and continued until the morning of July 1st local time. The meeting conducted a series of open votes on the amendments, which were expected to lead to the final vote on the “Big Beautiful” bill. On June 30th, the White House released an animated livestream promoting its “Big Beautiful” tax and spending bill.
As of the time this report was written, the Senate’s marathon-like session has come to a close.