Latest news with #primarychallenges
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hogg says he would work with DNC in future despite ‘double standard'
Former Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair David Hogg said on Wednesday that he is willing to work with the committee despite his June departure, which he characterized as a 'double standard.' 'There's obviously disagreements that we have at the end of the day, but I think that we all still have good relationships,' Hogg told The Hill's Julia Manchester at the Hill Nation Summit. 'I still have, you know, enormous respect for all my fellow vice chairs, the other officers of the DNC.' The progressive activist, who called for primary challenges against Democratic incumbents with the help of his leadership PAC Leaders We Deserve, left the DNC in June after deciding not to run after his election was vacated over a procedural rule about gender diversity. On Wednesday, Hogg called this out as a 'double standard that was selectively enforced.' 'I would argue that what I'm doing is not that different from someone having a leadership PAC that gives against an incumbent,' he added, noting he had no access to donor or voter data that would pose a conflict with his PAC. Hogg, in conversation with Manchester, went on to state that the party, in his view, lacks the 'courage to do bold things' and support for 'competition.' 'I think I will be vindicated in four years,' he added about his departure from the DNC. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Fox News
03-07-2025
- Business
- Fox News
GOP lawmakers rebuke Elon Musk's primary threats, say Trump's legislation 'something we've got to do'
As lawmakers march toward a vote on President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill," House Republicans aren't too worried about primary threats from tech billionaire Elon Musk. Musk, who once served as the head of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has been highly critical of the president's legislative agenda. He had remained quiet about the bill until earlier this week when Senate Republicans were making strides to pass it. "We don't take threats lightly up here," Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., told Fox News Digital. "And, you know, Elon, we appreciate all the work he did with DOGE — and he did some fine work, some great work — but at the same time, this is something we've got to do." Musk again returned to bemoan Republicans for supporting the legislative behemoth for its staggering $3.3 trillion price tag and the impact it would have on the nation's already massive, $37 trillion debt. He went so far as to threaten to back primary challengers against any Republican that voted for the bill. It wouldn't be the first time that Musk has been involved — he dumped millions into Trump's campaign last year. Now, House Republicans are gearing up to vote after hours of delays, negotiations and a near record-breaking amount of open floor time in the lower chamber. Additionally, many don't care about Musk's threats. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mi., told Fox News Digital that he was focused on doing the best "we could do, which is, frankly, better than what Elon Musk did." "I don't worry about Elon Musk," he said. "I do know that DOGE found some good things that we needed to remedy in this government. But the $2 trillion that Elon said he was going to find, he didn't." Musk took particular issue with the Senate's changes to the bill, too, and slammed it for adding trillions to the deficit. Rep. Brad Knott, R-N.C., noted that the bill cuts north of $1.5 trillion in an effort to help offset the cost of extending or making permanent Trump's 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. "I appreciate Mr. Musk's motivation," he told Fox News Digital. "I appreciate his focus on debt reduction, and I hope he'll take a step back and realize that we're still all on the same team here." While the Senate's changes, particularly to Medicaid and a reduction in the rollback of green energy subsidies from former President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, among other cost-driving issues, gave fiscal hawks in the House heartburn, House Republican leadership is confident that the bill will pass.
Forbes
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Musk-Trump Feud Reignites: Trump Responds To Musk's Spending Bill Attacks
The feud between President Donald Trump and his former ally, Elon Musk, was reignited once again on Tuesday after the world's richest person said he'll back primary challenges against GOP lawmakers voting for the president's signature spending bill, prompting Trump to retaliate by threatening to scrap government subsidies for Musk's firms. Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks alongside U.S. President Donald Trump to reporters in the Oval Office of ... More the White House. Getty Images Musk attacked the spending bill in a series of post on X on Monday night and early Tuesday morning, saying: 'Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending,' and backed the mega bill 'will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.' The billionaire then tweeted, 'If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day,' as he bashed what he described as the 'Democrat-Republican uniparty.' Musk later said that anyone who votes for the legislation after campaigning 'on the PROMISE of REDUCING SPENDING' will see their face on a poster of Pinocchio with the caption 'LIAR' followed by the text 'Voted to increase America's Debt by $5,000,000,000,000.' The X owner reshared the results of an unscientific poll he conducted on the platform last month during his public blow-up with the president and wrote 'VOX POPULI VOX DEI 80% voted for a new party.' Earlier on Monday, Musk had attacked the GOP and the spending bill, tweeting: 'It is obvious with the insane spending of this bill, which increases the debt ceiling by a record FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS that we live in a one-party country – the PORKY PIG PARTY!!' In a post on his Truth Social platform, the president responded to Musk's criticism of his signature spending bill by threatening to scrap government subsidies provided to the billionaire's companies. Trump wrote: 'Elon Musk knew, long before he so strongly Endorsed me for President, that I was strongly against the EV Mandate. It is ridiculous, and was always a major part of my campaign.' The president then claimed: 'Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa. No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE.' The president suggested that the Department of Government Efficiency—a brainchild of Musk, who also previously headed the agency—should 'take a good, hard, look' at the subsidies offered to companies like SpaceX and Tesla. Musk shot back on X, by daring Trump to slash the subsidies: 'I am literally saying CUT IT ALL. Now.' Tangent While criticizing the backers of the spending bill, Musk also boosted some of its prominent critics within the GOP, including some who have been the targets of Trump's ire. Musk retweeted a post by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who Trump called a 'Third Rate Congressman,' which said: ''BBB' = our credit rating if this bill becomes law.' Musk then vowed to support Massie's reelection bid next year. Musk also reshared posts made by Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., whom Trump threatened to primary before he announced his decision not to seek reelection. Tillis had reshared a Musk post which appeared to criticize the spending bill for targeting solar and battery tech, and wrote: 'Folks, Elon Musk is 100% right, and he understands this issue better than anyone. We should take his warnings seriously.' Musk, who left his role as a Trump administration 'special government employee' late in May, has since attacked the so-called 'Big Beautiful Bill' backed by the president and the House GOP. The billionaire, who had previously described himself as Trump's 'first buddy,' eventually directed his ire directly at the president by sharing older clips of the president bashing Republicans for raising the debt ceiling. The feud then escalated after the president accused Musk of having 'Trump Derangement Syndrome,' a phrase he often uses to target his critics. This began a back and forth social media war between the two, where Trump threatened to scrap Musk's government contracts. The billionaire retorted with a now deleted tweet alleging without evidence that Trump's name was in the 'Epstein Files.' Before this latest blow up both individuals appeared to have reached a detente, with Musk even tweeting that regretted some of his 'posts about President Donald Trump,' which he said 'went too far.' The Musk Vs. Trump Feud Timeline (Forbes) Musk Says He Regrets His Posts Bashing Trump Last Week—'Went Too Far' (Forbes)
Forbes
01-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Musk-Trump Feud Reignites As Billionaire Attacks Spending Bill Backers
The feud between President Donald Trump and his former ally, Elon Musk, was reignited once again on Tuesday after the world's richest person said he'll back primary challenges against GOP lawmakers voting for the president's signature spending bill, prompting Trump to retaliate by threatening to scrap government subsidies for Musk's firms. Elon Musk looks on during a news conference with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the ... More White House in Washington. AFP via Getty Images Musk attacked the spending bill in a series of post on X on Monday night and early Tuesday morning, saying: 'Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending,' and backed the mega bill 'will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.' The billionaire then tweeted, 'If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day,' as he bashed what he described as the 'Democrat-Republican uniparty.' Musk later said that anyone who votes for the legislation after campaigning 'on the PROMISE of REDUCING SPENDING' will see their face on a poster of Pinocchio with the caption 'LIAR' followed by the text 'Voted to increase America's Debt by $5,000,000,000,000.' The X owner reshared the results of an unscientific poll he conducted on the platform last month during his public blow-up with the president and wrote 'VOX POPULI VOX DEI 80% voted for a new party.' Earlier on Monday, Musk had attacked the GOP and the spending bill, tweeting: 'It is obvious with the insane spending of this bill, which increases the debt ceiling by a record FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS that we live in a one-party country – the PORKY PIG PARTY!!' This is a developing story.
Fox News
04-06-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Massie calls on Elon Musk to fund primary challenges against Republicans who backed Trump tax bill
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said Elon Musk should fund primary challenges against almost every Republican who voted for President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" last week. "I don't primary my colleagues, but I feel pretty good about him doing it," Massie told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. "There's a few others that should be spared," when asked to clarify if he meant all 215 House Republicans who supported the legislation. "But people want term limits, right? Elon can bring term limits." Musk came out against the massive Trump agenda bill that House Republicans passed last week. "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," Musk first posted. It was followed by several posts on the national debt, and one that read, "In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people." Massie said on Wednesday, "I just think he made one mistake when misstatement – he said take them out in November. I would take them out in primaries if I were Elon Musk." Both House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and the White House have closed ranks around the legislation. Johnson issued a rare forceful response to Musk from the podium of his weekly press conference on Wednesday, calling the billionaire "flat wrong." "Elon and I left on a great note. We were texting one another, you know, happy texts, you know, Monday and then, and then yesterday, you know, 24 hours later, he does a 180, and he comes out and opposed the bill," Johnson told reporters. "And it surprised me, frankly. And, I don't take it personal…I think he's way off on this, and I've told him as much, and, I've said it publicly and privately." The massive budget reconciliation bill is aimed at advancing Trump's priorities on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the debt limit. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projected it would add $2.4 trillion to the federal deficit over 10 years, but House GOP leaders have dismissed that modeling as inaccurate representations of economic growth. Massie was one of three House Republicans to vote against the bill. Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, also voted "no," while House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., voted "present." Massie is also no stranger to clashing with both Trump and Johnson. He has faced primary threats from the former and led an unsuccessful bid to remove the latter from House leadership. Massie has been consistent, however, in his opposition to legislation that would have any chance of adding to the federal debt – now currently nearly $37 trillion. Republican supporters of the bill, however, have contended that it is the best possible vehicle to radically reform government programs plagued with waste, fraud and abuse, and restore much-needed funding to the border, while extending Trump's 2017 tax cuts. However, the legislation is now in the Senate, where Republicans have already signaled they would want to see changes to the final bill. Fox News Digital reached out to the National Republican Congressional Committee for comment on Massie's remarks.
