Johnson tries to protect fate of megabill from Trump-Musk crossfire
Speaker Mike Johnson is working to keep the focus on the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" on Friday as all eyes remain on President Donald Trump and Elon Musk amid their bitter public feud.
Johnson is pushing the House-passed bill that advances Trump's legislative agenda, which is being negotiated in the Senate. Musk has publicly criticized the bill, calling it a "disgusting abomination" and encouraging members of Congress to "kill the bill."
Musk's criticism reached a boiling point on Thursday -- ending with an explosive spat between the president and the tech billionaire. On Friday morning, Trump told ABC News that Musk had "lost his mind."
MORE: Trump tells ABC Musk 'lost his mind'; 'not particularly' interested in talking to him
Johnson was once one of Musk's most powerful boosters on Capitol Hill. Johnson met with Musk repeatedly and would even talk him through legislation by phone. Musk even addressed a meeting of House Republicans in March.
Asked by ABC News if it was a mistake to trust Musk, Johnson dismissed the question and turned the focus back to the bill.
"I'm not going to engage in this back-and-forth stuff. I don't think the American people care much about Twitter wars. I think they care about us accomplishing our legislative agenda, and the 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' does that."
Johnson reiterated Friday that he has a job to do -- and it's not to get involved in the Musk-Trump squabble. Still, Johnson engaged in the online battle Thursday, responding to a Musk post criticizing the speaker.
MORE: Trump Musk feud explodes with claim president is in Epstein files
Several other House Republicans are weighing in on the dispute and whether Musk's influence and strong opinions about the megabill could influence its passage.
"I think Elon probably did change the trajectory of this bill two or three days ago when he came out against it because people trust the guy who can land rockets backwards more than they do the politicians," Republican Rep. Thomas Massie said. Massie was one of two House Republicans who opposed the bill when the House voted on it last month.
GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene sided with both Trump and Musk on different aspects of the bill -- favoring Musk on the price tag. She said ultimately she thinks the focus should be on passing Trump's agenda.
"I don't think lashing out on the Internet is the way to handle any kind of disagreement, especially when you have each other's cell phones," Greene told reporters Friday. "I hope this gets worked out, but I will tell you right now that people are going to be focused on making sure that we get the agenda that we voted for."
Republican Rep Troy Nehls, a staunch Trump ally, called for an end to the spat between the president and Musk, saying "enough is enough."
MORE: Thune plows ahead to pass Trump's megabill as Musk continues to bash it
Despite Musk publicly clashing with the head of their party -- even seeming to suggest the House should impeach the president -- some Republicans didn't go out of their way to bad mouth the billionaire.
"Elon Musk can use his funds as he sees fit," Republican Rep. Ralph Norman said when asked if he's worried Musk would primary Republicans. "Again, he's a patriot and if he disagrees, I respect the honesty, really."
Republican Rep. Warren Davidson called for unity.
"I just hope that people that I care a lot about get along, that they mend, that they patch up their relationship," he said. "It's disappointing to see them arguing in public that way."
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries capitalized on the clash, calling it a "welcome development."
"To the extent that the developments of this week will make it more likely that we can kill the GOP tax scam, that's a welcome development," he said.
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