By Peter Nichols
Ā Just days after heĀ left his powerful positionĀ as one of Donald Trumpās closest advisers, Elon Musk is orchestrating a pressure campaign to sink the mammoth tax and spending package that is the centerpiece of the presidentās policy agenda.
Musk used X, his social media site, on Wednesday to implore Americans toĀ call CongressĀ and urge it to ākillāĀ the bill that Trump hails as ābigā and ābeautiful.ā
He also urged lawmakers toĀ rewrite the billĀ from scratch, putting him squarely at odds with Trump, who had invited him into Cabinet meetings and empowered him to dismantle whole agencies and shrink the government workforce.
The bill, which has already passed the House, faces an uncertain fate in the Senate, where just four Republican defections would spell defeat.
It doesnāt sit well with Trump world that Musk is the messenger. Trump is considering when and how to respond to Muskās gambit, a White House official said. He was ācaught off guardā but “not entirely surprised” by Muskās opposition, a senior official said.
Trump had sent Musk off in style, giving him a golden key and staging a goodbye ceremony in the Oval Office that the media covered live.
āThe president wanted to be a nice guy,ā the senior official said.
Muskās posts come a day after his surprising break with Trump over the billās merits. On Tuesday, he called the measure a ādisgusting abomination,ā warning that it would push the nation deeper into debt.
Having elevated Musk and made him a prized sidekick, Trump may discover that the worldās richest man is a potential nemesis beyond his control.
A White House official downplayed the notion of a falling-out with Musk.
āEveryone here in a senior role understands who Elon Musk is, understands how he acts, understands how he plays,ā the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. āThereās been no surprise when it comes to Elon Musk, because heās been such a friend to the administration.
āAnd we all know this is coming from a place of business and is not personal.ā
But people in Trumpās orbit were angry that Musk skewered the bill. They were particularly outraged by his not-so-veiled warning that Republicans who vote for it couldĀ lose their jobsĀ come November 2026, a person familiar with the matter said.Ā That assertion came after Musk said late last month thatĀ he would do āa lot lessāĀ political spending going forward.
A Republican lawmaker, in a private text chain with colleagues, wrote sarcastically of Musk: āTeam Player.ā
Trump is normally quick to clap back at those who publicly oppose his interests. When Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., objected Tuesday on CNBC that the bill would inflate the national debt, Trump swiftly denounced him.
āThe people of Kentucky canāt stand him,ā Trump posted onĀ Truth Social.
In the case of Musk, Trump so far has been silent. The disparate treatment may be rooted in cold political reality. Paul doesnāt have a national following, while Musk, with his capacity to influence the midterm elections, is someone Trump may not wish to antagonize.
MuskĀ spent more than $250 millionĀ to boost Trump last year and is free to pour money into a midterm campaign season in which control of Congress is up for grabs. If Democrats seize the majority, they could saddle Trump with serial investigations and perhaps impeachment proceedings in the back half of his term.
Republican lawmakers, too, trod carefully Wednesday when they were asked about Muskās evisceration of Trumpās key legislative priority. Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana quipped: āWell, let me say this about Elon. I wish he wouldnāt sugarcoat stuff.ā
āI think heās really smart,ā Kennedy added. āI think heās entitled to his opinion. Heās frustrated. I think he believes, in my judgment correctly, that weāre quickly becoming debt slaves.ā
Still, Muskās apostasy shows the inherent risks in Trumpās executive style. As a centibillionaire, Musk never fit neatly in the Trump administrationās chain of command.Ā HeĀ squabbled withĀ at least two Cabinet secretaries and found that his private interestsĀ clashed at times with Trumpās policy goals.
Trumpās bill would curtail the electric vehicle and residential solar tax credits that are important to Muskās Tesla car and clean energy divisions. The measure would also impose a new annual $250 fee on EV drivers.
Musk spoke to Trump personally about extending the electric vehicle credit, a person familiar with the matter said.
He also pressed some senior lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.,Ā in recent weeks ā before his recent X posts ā to keep tax credits in the bill that would incentivize electric vehicle purchases, three people familiar with the conversations said. One of the sources said Musk had lobbied Johnson as recently as in the past few days.
The tax credits had been eliminated to get the most conservative House members on board as part of the delicate negotiations to ensure the billās passage.
āAbruptly ending the energy tax credits would threaten Americaās energy independence and the reliability of our grid ā we urge the senate to enact legislation with a sensible wind downā of the credits, Tesla EnergyĀ posted on XĀ on May 28, the day Musk officially left his government role.
In opposing the bill, Musk has amplified a point that the more fiscally conservative Republicans also find troubling: The measure would greatly add to Americaās whopping debt. A new analysis from the nonpartisanĀ Congressional Budget OfficeĀ holds that the House-passed version of the bill would inflate the debt by $2.4 trillion over the next decade.
Paul, the senator from Kentucky,Ā wrote TuesdayĀ that he wants trillions in new debt āremovedā from the measure and that four of his colleagues āfeel this way.ā
An open question is the degree to which Americans care what Musk thinks. His public approval rating was underwater amid his association with the Department of Government Efficiency and the drastic cuts that left many government workers suddenly unemployed. AnĀ NBC News pollĀ in March found that 51% of registered voters held negative views of Musk, with only 39% viewing him positively.
Lawmakers seeking campaign donations may be solicitous of Musk and the news media may treat him with outsize interest because of the role Trump gave him, but can he shape public opinion on controversial legislation?
Newt Gingrich, the Republican former House speaker, suggested the answer is no.
āI havenāt seen anyā public constituency for Musk, Gingrich told NBC News. āIf you can find one, call me.ā
āIām a big admirer of his as an entrepreneur, but he never understood the political business, and he doesnāt now,ā he added.
That having been said, āIām sure no one on the Trump team thinks itās helpful,ā Gingrich added.
Democrats are delighted by Muskās dissent and the rift it exposes inside GOP ranks.
āMusk is right about this,ā Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., told NBC News. āHeās been wrong about a whole lot of other things.ā