'You're undermining DOGE,' Musk tells Trump as he lashes out at 'massive spending bill'
28 May 2025, 18:30
US billionaire Elon Musk has lashed out at Donald Trump for "undermining" him and treating his department DOGE like "whipping boys."
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Musk has overseen massive cuts to the federal government in his role as head of the newly-created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
While he has got a seat at the table in Trump's government, the SpaceX CEO has come down heard on the administration's $3.8 trillion spending bill.
"It undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing," he told reporters.
Musk added: "I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it."
Read more: Tesla's European sales halve in a month amid backlash against Elon Musk and Trump's trade war
It is not the only occasion where Musk has lashed out at the White House over DOGE's treatment.
He told the Washington Post: "DOGE is just becoming the whipping boy for everything.
"Something bad would happen anywhere, and we would get blamed for it even if we had nothing to do with it."
Musk was referring to the "Trump tax bill" - a series of sweeping cuts to federal spending. The X owner appears to believe it would actually weaken cost-cutting efforts.
Such a rift over the seemingly marks a significant shift in the pair's relationship - which during the presidential campaign saw Musk refer to himself as "Dark Maga" as Trump brought him out at rallies across the US.
It comes after speculation swirled that Musk was gearing up to leave Trump's cabinet.
In April, some reports claimed Trump had told members of his inner circle Elon Musk is set to exit the president's cabinet in the "coming weeks".
It came as wide-ranging reports emerged that those close to Trump have become increasingly frustrated with the Telsa boss in recent months, pointing to his unpredictability.
One senior administration official told Politico that Musk will retain an informal role as an adviser after quitting the cabinet.
Another warned that anyone thinking Musk will give up his position entirely is “fooling themselves.”
But White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, dismissed the reports as "garbage".
"Elon Musk and President Trump have both publicly stated that Elon will depart from public service as a special government employee when his incredible work at DOGE is complete," she said.
Musk backed up her comments, writing "Yeah, fake news" in a post on X.
Trump also later told the Telsa boss "you're invited to stay as long as you want" during a Cabinet meeting celebrating his first 100 days in office.