GOP rage with Musk spills out privately after break with Trump

Axios

a day ago

House Republicans' longstanding frustrations with Elon Musk are spilling out in an unprecedented way behind closed doors after he criticized them for supporting President Trump's "One Big, Beautiful Bill."
Why it matters: In some lawmakers' telling, the internal GOP frustration didn't come about overnight. It's been stewing for months — and Musk has now opened the floodgates.
"He's a complete joke. He had no idea what the f*** he was doing, whatsoever," said one House Republican, speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid retaliation from the billionaire Tesla owner.
The lawmaker added: "Nobody really wanted him here. We couldn't wait to get rid of him."
A second lawmaker pointedly noted electric vehicle manufacturers like Tesla benefit from tax credits the bill would eliminate: "Some of the things he's advocating for now serve his own purpose. So I guess he's now lobbying just like everybody else."
State of play: Since Tuesday, Musk has been on a social media rampage against Republicans' marquee tax and spending cuts bill, arguing that it doesn't go nearly far enough in reducing the deficit.
The recently departed Trump lieutenant wrote on his social media app, X, that the bill is an " disgusting abomination" and called to " fire all politicians who betrayed the American people."
On Wednesday he took a step further — despite GOP efforts to talk him down — arguing that a "new spending bill should be drafted that doesn't massively grow the deficit."
Spokespeople for Trump and the White House did not respond to requests for comment on this story.
Between the lines: Musk has always had an uneasy relationship with Republican lawmakers, many of whom shuddered as he hacked and slashed spending in ways that negatively impacted their districts.
But for the most part, they stayed mute and conciliatory for fear of antagonizing a man whose $420 billion net worth would be enough to foot the bill for the entire 2024 election more than 40 times over.
Even now, many House Republicans expressed extreme reluctance to put their names to even mild criticism of the mercurial billionaire.
What we're hearing: "He can say whatever he wants to. I don't care. I don't really pay attention," said the second House Republican. "He's not elected. He served at the pleasure of the president. He no longer does."
A third called Musk's comments about the bill "ridiculous," venting, "He's never run for office. He's never been in elected office ... He's always been able to be a dictator."
A fourth told Axios of Musk's call to oust those who supported the bill: "Many GOP members didn't boast Musk's support when he was in favor of the bill."
"We are not deterred by his opposition now that he is against it," they added.
The intrigue: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told House Republicans in a closed-door conference meeting on Wednesday that Trump himself is "pissed off" at Musk, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Johnson said at a press conference after the meeting that he talks to Trump "multiple times a day" and that the president is "not delighted that Elon did a 180."
The first House Republican backed up that assertion, telling Axios: "The president couldn't wait to get rid of him."
"I knew it was a matter of time before the two alpha males would explode, fight each other," said a fifth House Republican.
The other side: Musk still has a base of support in Congress, with many of House Republicans' more right-leaning fiscal hawks saying they are in accordance with his point of view.