Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur and former adviser to Donald Trump, has intensified his criticism of Trump’s sweeping tax and spending legislation. As the Senate took up the bill on June 30, Musk vowed to back primary challengers against any Republican lawmakers who support it, warning it would dangerously inflate the national debt.
“Any politician who promised to cut government spending but supports this record-breaking debt increase should be ashamed,” Musk wrote on X. “If it’s the last thing I do, they will lose their primaries next year.”
His latest remarks come after efforts to reconcile with Trump, following a rocky departure in May from his position as head of the Department of Government Efficiency. At the time, Musk had issued an apology for comments made during his resignation.
In a separate post, Musk criticized both major political parties and suggested the creation of a new one, slamming the bill’s $5 trillion debt ceiling increase. “This proves we have a single ruling party—the Porky Pig Party,” he said.
Musk also targeted two influential far-right Republicans, Reps. Andy Harris of Maryland and Chip Roy of Texas, accusing them of hypocrisy for supporting what he called a “debt slavery” bill.
The bill, which Trump has called his “big, beautiful bill,” is headed for a final Senate vote after a series of rapid-fire amendments. With Republicans holding a narrow 53–47 Senate majority, every vote will count.
The Congressional Budget Office projects the bill would add $3.3 trillion to the national debt over the next decade by extending tax cuts from 2017. It would also remove nearly 12 million Americans from Medicaid by 2034 and cut nearly $300 billion from food assistance programs.
Despite contributing around $290 million to Trump and GOP campaigns for the 2024 race, Musk had already signaled a retreat from political spending. Speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum on May 20, he said, “I’ll be scaling back my political donations. I believe I’ve done my part.”
