The simmering dispute between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump escalated sharply on Thursday, as Musk accused the president of ingratitude and claimed he was instrumental in Trump’s 2024 election win.
In a pointed post on X, Musk fired back at Trump’s recent criticisms, writing: “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate. Such ingratitude.”
The clash follows Trump’s remarks at a White House press briefing, where he voiced disappointment with Musk’s apparent reversal on the administration’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” Trump accused the billionaire of turning against the legislation only after provisions related to electric vehicle (EV) incentives were removed.
“Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here,” Trump said. “He had no problem with it — until we had to cut the EV mandate.”
Musk, however, disputed the president’s claims, asserting that he was never consulted on the bill and denouncing the legislative process as rushed and opaque.
“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!” Musk posted, adding that the measure lacked adequate scrutiny.
The Tesla chief has recently intensified his attacks on both the Trump administration and the broader Republican Party over the bill, branding it the “Big Ugly Bill.” He has instead advocated for a leaner alternative, which he dubbed the “Slim Beautiful Bill.”
Earlier in the day, Musk resurfaced several of Trump’s past social media posts that appeared to mirror his current objections, implying a shift in the president’s position.
House Speaker Mike Johnson also weighed in, expressing surprise at Musk’s opposition. Describing Musk as a “friend,” Johnson said the two had a “great conversation” earlier in the week, but insisted the tech mogul was “flat wrong” in his assessment.
Despite criticism from the president and GOP leadership, Musk has received support from some prominent Republicans. Lawmakers including Rep. Thomas Massie (KY), Sen. Rand Paul (KY), and Sen. Mike Lee (UT) have echoed Musk’s concerns. Sen. John Kennedy (LA) went further, warning that the bill risked turning Americans into “debt slaves.”
With the bill having cleared the House, it now awaits Senate approval ahead of President Trump’s self-imposed July 4 deadline.
