Musk is ‘flat wrong’ about Trump tax bill, GOP speaker says
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Musk is ‘flat wrong’ about Trump tax bill, GOP speaker says
Musk called the bill a “disgusting abomination” that Trump and Johnson helped push through the U.S. House. The world’s richest man spent more than $250 million to help Trump win back the White House. Johnson: “I think he’s flat wrong. I’ve told him as much, and I’ve said it publicly and privately” The tax and policy bill is currently in the Senate, where Trump is lobbying lawmakers as they prepare to make changes.
Musk in his June 3 tweet called the bill a “disgusting abomination” that Trump and Johnson helped push through the U.S. House last month by the slimmest of margins and with only GOP support. In 2024, Musk spent more than $250 million to help Trump win back the White House, and now he’s threatening political payback against the GOP lawmakers who voted with the president.
“It surprised me, frankly, and I don’t take it personal,” Johnson told reporters on June 4 in the U.S. Capitol. “We don’t take it personal. You know, policy differences are not personal. I think he’s flat wrong. I think he’s way off on this, and I’ve told him as much, and I’ve said it publicly and privately. I’m very consistent in that.”
Johnson added that Musk did “a 180” to oppose the bill after they left on a “great note” with the former DOGE adviser’s recent departure from the Trump White House.
The tiff between Musk and Republicans continued as the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that the House bill would add roughly $2.4 million to the deficit over the next decade. The bill would extend Trump’s tax cuts, fund Trump’s deportation plans and increase defense spending.
The tax and policy bill is currently in the Senate, where Trump is lobbying lawmakers as they prepare to make changes to the House-passed measure. Some Republicans have already come out and opposed the cost of the House bill, including Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johenson.
“I agree with Elon,” Paul said in a tweet on June 3 in response to Musk. “We have both seen the massive waste in government spending and we know another $5 trillion in debt is a huge mistake. We can and must do better.”
Trump and GOP leaders have set a self-imposed deadline of July 4 to try to get the tax bill through both chambers of Congress and to the president’s desk for signature into law.