Musk vows to punish lawmakers who back Trump’s spending Bill
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After weeks of relative silence following a feud with US President Donald Trump (right) over a sweeping tax cut and spending Bill, Mr Elon Musk rejoined the debate on June 28.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – Billionaire Elon Musk on June 30 renewed his criticism of US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax cut and spending Bill, vowing to unseat lawmakers who backed it after campaigning on limiting government spending.
After weeks of relative silence following a feud with Mr Trump over the legislation
On June 30, he ramped up his criticism, saying lawmakers who had campaigned on cutting spending but backed the Bill “should hang their heads in shame”.
“And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this earth,” Mr Musk added.
The Tesla and SpaceX chief executive called again for a new political party, saying the Bill’s massive spending indicated “that we live in a one-party country – the PORKY PIG PARTY”.
“Time for a new political party that actually cares about the people,” he wrote.
Mr Musk’s criticism of the Bill has caused a rift in his relationship with Mr Trump, marking a dramatic shift after the tech billionaire spent nearly US$300 million (S$381 million) on Mr Trump’s re-election campaign and led the administration’s controversial Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), a federal cost-cutting initiative.
Mr Musk, the world’s richest man, has argued that the legislation would greatly increase the national debt and erase the savings he says he has achieved
It remains unclear how much sway Mr Musk has over Congress, or what effect his opinions might have on the Bill’s passage.
But Republicans have expressed concern that his on-again, off-again feud with Mr Trump could hurt their chances to protect their majority in the 2026 mid-term congressional elections.
The rift has also led to volatility for Tesla, with shares of the company seeing wild price swings that erased approximately US$150 billion of its market value, though it has since recovered. REUTERS
