Elon Musk Making Headlines After White House Departure

It didn't take long for former Trump administration official and DOGE mastermind Elon Musk to find himself back in the headlines following his departure from the White House, taking to his platform X on Tuesday to bash against Donald Trump's "one big, beautiful bill" currently under consideration in the Senate. Musk calls the bill, which will add trillions to the deficit over the next decade, a "disgusting abomination", and claims the architects of the bill know they "did wrong".

This marks an escalation in his critcism of the bill championed by his former boss, a week after his sit down on CBS News where he expressed his disappointment with the bill, saying it undercuts the efforts he made with DOGE to cut spending and shrink the federal government. Musk went further in his CBS interview, saying "I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don't know if it can be both. My personal opinion." In the background, of course, is Musk's personal interest in pieces of the legislation that impact his businesses. Musk has publicly, although more quietly, criticized Trump's bill for phasing out Biden-era green energy tax credits.

Democrats have jumped to use Musk's comments to their advantage, with Senate Miniority Leader Chuck Schumer saying he "agrees with Elon Musk" at a press conference on Tuesday. Musk's post has also been a consistent talking point for Democrats on cable news and social media.

Republicans, on the other hand, are disappointed and seemingly shocked by Musk's comments. Speaker Mike Johnson largely dismissed Musk's criticism, but behind the curtain some Hill Republicans are harsher in their rebuke of Musk. One GOP aide I spoke to said "Add one more to the list of people on the right trying to F*** us on this bill."

Much attention was given within the Trump administration to the appearence of Musk's exit from the White House. With many predicting that the Trump-Musk relationship would end in flames, there was a concerted effort to portray Musk's departure as an amicable split, stressing his relationship with the President remains in good terms. That effort could get complicated if Musk continues his public outcry against Trump's legislation, which unleashes the bulk of his domestic agenda. The White House's response to Musk has been tame so far, but Donald Trump isn't known for staying tame for too long.