By Sean Burch
The war of words between President Trump and Elon Musk is back on, with the president telling reporters on Monday morning he may need the Department of Government Efficiency — the same department Musk spearheaded until recently — to look into the billionaire’s SpaceX and other federal contracts.
President Trump also did not shut down potentially deporting Musk when asked by a reporter if he would do so, saying, “We’ll have to take a look.”
“We might have to put DOGE on Elon, you know,” President Trump told reporters outside the White House. “You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn’t that be terrible? He gets a lot of subsidies, Peter,” he added, presumably to Fox News reporter Peter Doocy.
“Elon is very upset that the EV mandate is going to be terminated. And you know what, when you look at it, not everyone wants an electric car!” The president continued. “I don’t want an electric car. I want to have maybe gasoline, maybe electric, maybe a hybrid. Maybe someday you have a hydrogen car — it has one problem: it blows up, you know. So maybe I give that one to Peter.”
Musk, in an apparent response to the president’s latest comments, posted on X: “So tempting to escalate this. So, so tempting. But I will refrain for now.”
President Trump appeared to be in a fairly chipper mood when he made his comments on Monday, which came a day after Musk said he was planning on forming an “alternative” to the Republican and Democratic parties if the Trump-backed “Big, Beautiful Bill” is approved by the Senate.
“If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day,” the Tesla and SpaceX boss posted on X, his social media platform.
Musk’s post came a few hours after he said the bill was stuffed with “insane spending” and would add “FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS” to the national debt. He added that the bill proves Democrats and Republicans are really part of one party, “The PORKY PIG PARTY!!”
His comments were not a total shock to anyone who has been paying attention lately.
Musk has been quiet about politics over the past few weeks, but earlier this month he got into a heated back-and-forth with President Trump over the bill, saying it was a “disgusting abomination.” Musk then posted in support of impeaching the president and claimed Trump did not release the Epstein Files because he was named in them — a claim Musk later deleted from X.
Musk’s criticism has stood out, considering he led the new Department of Government Efficiency for Trump from January through May; the president even gave Musk a gold key to the White House as a token of his appreciation for him spearheading DOGE. This also stands out because he was Trump’s most prominent backer during the 2024 election, spending $275 million to help him and other Republicans win their races.
Trump, rather than going full scorched-earth in response to Musk lately, has taken a more placid approach. The president, during an interview with Fox News on Sunday, called Musk a “smart” and “wonderful guy.”
His tune has changed this week, though, with the president going off on Musk during an early morning post on Truth Social.
“Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa,” Trump posted.
Tesla investors do not appear to be enjoying the back-and-forth between the president and their CEO, with shares of Tesla dropping 7.5% as the markets opened on Tuesday to $294.15 per share.