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'Very disappointed in Elon': Trump says Musk knew 'inner workings' of spending bill; billionaire refutes claim as 'false'
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he was 'very disappointed' with Elon Musk for slamming his major tax and spending bill, claiming the billionaire knew the legislation 'better than almost anybody.' read more
Elon Musk speaks during a news conference with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington on Friday. AP File
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he was 'very disappointed' with Elon Musk for slamming his major tax and spending bill, claiming the billionaire knew the legislation 'better than almost anybody.'
However, Musk swiftly hit back, calling the claim 'false' and said he was never shown the bill.
Trump also admitted he wasn't sure if his close relationship with Musk would continue after former advisor Musk slammed the bill as an 'abomination' .
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'Elon knew the inner workings of this bill, better than almost anybody sitting here… He knew everything about it. He had no problem with it. All of a sudden he had a problem, and he only developed the problem when he found out that we're going to have to cut the EV mandate, because that's billions and billions of dollars…," The Guardian quoted Trump as telling reporters in the Oval Office.
Trump claimed Musk was fully aware of every aspect of the bill and raised no objections until after his departure.
'And if you saw the statements he made about me, which I'm sure you can get very easily, it's very fresh on tape, he said the most beautiful things about me, and he hasn't said bad about me personally, but I'm sure that'll be next, but I'm very disappointed in Elon. I've helped Elon a lot,' he said.
He continued, 'Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore. I was surprised.'
Meanwhile, Musk hit back at Trump's comments from the White House that the tech billionaire knew about Trump's tax and spending bill better than anyone.
Taking to X, Musk wrote, 'False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!'
False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it! https://t.co/V4ztekqd4g — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025
On Tuesday, Musk sharply intensified his criticism of President Trump's 'big, beautiful' tax and spending cut bill, calling it a 'massive, outrageous, pork-filled … disgusting abomination' that will further widen the 'already gigantic' budget deficit.
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Taking to X, the billionaire, who only formally left his top role in the White House last week, wrote, 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.'
'It will massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit to $2.5 trillion (!!!) and burden America citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt,' he added.
However, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the criticism.
'The President already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill. It doesn't change the president's opinion. This is one big, beautiful bill and he's sticking to it,' The Guardian quoted Leavitt as saying.
While Musk had previously offered muted criticism of Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' — set to add $3 trillion to the deficit over a decade despite major cuts to health and food aid — his latest remarks marked a sharper turn.
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He warned Tuesday that the bill would saddle 'citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt.'
The shift signals rising tensions between Musk and the White House, despite his $300 million donation to Trump's campaign and past role as head of the DOGE task force.
With inputs from agencies
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