Trump hits out at Musk over plan to form political party
In his post, Trump also took aim at Musk's push for an "Electric Vehicle (EV) Mandate", saying it would have "forced everyone to buy an electric car in a short period of time."Trump's tax and spending plans - which he called his "big, beautiful bill" - ends tax breaks for electric vehicles.
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The Herald Scotland
19 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Trump treasury secretary criticizes Elon Musk's new political party
But "I think if you looked at the polling, Elon was not," Bessent said of the president's former advisor who led the White House's effort to slash the size of the federal government. On July 5, Musk announced he would be forming a new political party amid frustration with President Donald Trump's sweeping tax policy bill, which is expected to add at least $3.3 trillion to the federal deficit in the next ten years. "I believe that the boards of directors at his various companies wanted him to come back and run those companies, which he is better at than anyone," Bessent said of Musk's departure from the federal government. "So I imagine that those boards of directors did not like this announcement yesterday and will be encouraging him to focus on his business activities, not his political activities," he added. A Quinnipiac University poll released last month found that 30% of American voters said they have a favorable opinion of Musk. Sixty-two percent of Republicans backed the billionaire, but that was down from 78% in the university's March survey. Bessent and Musk repeatedly clashed during the billionaire's time in the administration, culminating in Bessent calling Musk a "fraud" and Musk throwing his shoulder into Bessent's rib cage in the White House, setting off a "scrum" between the two, according to multiple reports. Musk and Trump, too, have feuded in recent weeks. Musk has been critical of Trump and congressional Republicans' efforts to pass the sweeping tax bill, arguing that it is reckless to saddle the country with so much additional debt. GOP leaders have contended that the bill will spur economic growth. Trump signed the bill into law on July 4. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO shared on X the next day that he was starting the "America Party," though the party's broader beliefs weren't immediately clear. "When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy," Musk said on X on July 5. "Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom."
The Herald Scotland
19 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Donald Trump slams Elon Musk after "America Party" announcement
Musk announced the formation of the "America Party" on July 5, the day after Trump signed his mega-bill. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects the legislation will increase the national debt by $3.4 trillion, which Musk as lambasted. "When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy," Musk wrote on his social media platform X on July 5. "Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom." Trump criticized third parties in his July 6 post. "The one thing Third Parties are good for is the creation of Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS, and we have enough of that with the Radical Left Democrats," Trump wrote. Musk - the world's richest person with a worth of $405 billion, according to Forbes - spent nearly $290 million to help Trump and other Republicans get elected. In the opening months of Trump's presidency, Musk led the effort to slash federal agencies through the Department of Government Efficiency. The two have feuded in recent weeks as Musk strongly criticized Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," which includes tax cuts, increased spending on immigration enforcement and the military and deep spending cuts in Medicaid. The bill increases the debt ceiling by $5 trillion. Musk has threatened to boost primary challengers against those who supported the bill, which included all but two Republicans in the House and three in the Senate. "Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame!" Musk wrote before Trump signed the legislation. "And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth." Musk had taken steps to repair his strained relationship with the president - including personally apologizing for insults he made during his combative exit from the Trump administration last month - before the new round of sparring.
The Herald Scotland
19 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Beshear calls Trump's Medicaid cuts an 'attack on rural America'
He said around 200,000 people in Kentucky are could lose their healthcare under the bill, which implements new work requirements for Medicaid and a raft of other restrictions that healthcare experts argue will trigger hospital closures in rural areas. Lawmakers included a $50 billion fund in the legislation to prop up these hospitals, but experts say it won't be enough to make up for the $155 billion expected decline in federal Medicaid spending in rural areas. Beshear, who is considered a potential presidential candidate for the party in 2028, said up to 35 rural hospitals in Kentucky could be at risk of closing as a result of the bill. "What that means is our economy takes a huge hit," he said. "You lose 200 jobs from doctors and nurses and orderlies and all of a sudden the coffee shop does worse, the bank doesn't have as many folks coming in. This is going to hit rural America right in the face." Still, Republicans have argued that the biggest expected cut to Medicaid - the implementation of work requirements for able-bodied adults - is popular among voters, and other changes such as more frequent eligibility checks are common sense options. Democrats "unfortunately seem to think that poor people are stupid. I don't think poor people are stupid. I think they have agency, and I think to have them register twice a year for these benefits is not a burden," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also said on CNN on July 6. "People who want to infantilize the poor and people who need these Medicaid benefits are alarmist." Republicans in Congress passed the massive tax-cut and spending package on July 3. Trump signed it into law on July 4. It was the key goal for Trump and Republican leadership in Congress, which captured a trifecta during the 2024 elections and has used that political muscle to force what they've dubbed their "One Big, Beautiful Bill" through both chambers at a rapid-fire pace. The passage came despite deep reservations within their own party and unanimous opposition from Democrats who see it as a ticket to winning back congressional majorities in 2026.
