Elon Musk says US is ruled by 'Porky Pig Party' as Trump defends his vision against former ally's criticism
Musk's criticism of the Republican spending package began before he even left the Trump administration as a special government employee heading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). It continued following his departure, with Musk describing the bill as "pork-filled" and a "disgusting abomination" earlier this month. The billionaire entrepreneur has lamented that the bill could work to undo much of the work he accomplished with DOGE.
"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!!" Musk wrote on X Monday afternoon as the Senate continued to consider the House-passed spending bill. "Time for a new political party that actually cares about the people," Musk added.
In a separate post on X Monday evening, Musk doubled down on his claim that the U.S. is governed by a one-party system.
"They just pretend to be two parties," he wrote, sharing a post alongside a graphic showing how much the national debt has steadily increased every year. "It's just one uniparty in reality."
Meanwhile, the billionaire entrepreneur threatened that "if this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day."
"Our country needs an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uniparty so that the people actually have a VOICE," Musk wrote Monday evening on X.
Musk previously said he was "disappointed" in the spending bill because "it undermines" all the work his DOGE team was accomplishing to cut back on waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government. However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R–S.D., refuted Musk's claim that the bill would upend all the work he did with DOGE, noting in an interview that "a lot of what Elon was working on was on the discretionary side of the budget, which [the "big, beautiful bill"] doesn't touch."
Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought clarified in an interview with The Blaze's Glenn Beck that the GOP's "big, beautiful bill" cannot legally include cuts to discretionary spending — the very category targeted by Musk's DOGE initiative, he noted. The bill includes discretionary spending instructions for defense and border security, but final approval still requires passage through the congressional appropriations process.
Earlier this month, after formally leaving his post in the Trump administration, Musk shared a social media post President Donald Trump posted in 2013, noting he was "embarrassed" at the time to be a Republican after the party extended the debt ceiling. Musk shared the former post and wrote: "wise words."
Several days prior, Musk referred to the Trump-endorsed "big, beautiful bill" as a "disgusting abomination." He has also previously suggested the bill would kill jobs and raise taxes on renewable energy projects not yet even underway. The feud between Musk and Trump and his supporters of the bill escalated even further after Musk sought to link Trump to the Jeffrey Epstein child sex scandal in a now-deleted post.
When reached for comment about Musk's complaints about the Trump-endorsed spending package, the White House pointed to the president's comments over the weekend to Fox News Business. When asked on Sunday during an interview with Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo about his relationship with Musk since he left the White House, the president described Musk as a "wonderful guy." Later, Trump described some of Musk's post–White House behavior as inappropriate.
"I think he's a wonderful guy. I haven't spoken to him much, but I think Elon is a wonderful guy, and I know he's going to do well always," Trump said. "He's a smart guy. And he actually went and campaigned with me and this and that. But he got a little bit upset, and that wasn't appropriate."
"Why did he get upset? He just wasn't getting what he wanted?" Bartiromo questioned.
"Look, the electric vehicle mandate, the EV mandate, is a tough thing for him," Trump explained. "I would, you know, I don't want everybody to have an electric car. You know, I campaigned on choice — you have — choice… not everybody should have that and not everybody wants that."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wall Street Journal
6 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
How Holdout Alaska Senator Shaped Trump's Megabill
WASHINGTON—At 3 a.m. Tuesday, with President Trump's sprawling domestic-policy bill in trouble on the Senate floor, no one had more leverage than Sen. Lisa Murkowski With two GOP senators firmly opposed and Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine) likely to vote 'no,' the senior senator from Alaska was the pivotal vote for Trump's legislative agenda. Murkowski, a patient and often inscrutable moderate Republican, was dead set on amending the bill to benefit her constituents and softening the blow from spending cuts in the package.
Politico
6 minutes ago
- Politico
The new super PAC taking aim at Musk
Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government, your guide to Donald Trump's unprecedented overhaul of the federal government — the key decisions, the critical characters and the power dynamics that are upending Washington and beyond. Send tips | Subscribe | Email Sophia | Email Irie | Email Ben LATEST: A federal judge this afternoon temporarily stopped the Trump administration from moving forward with its planned massive restructuring of the Department of Health and Human Services, NYT's CHRISTINA JEWETT and ZACH MONTAGUE report. In an opinion accompanying the order, Judge MELISSA R. DuBOSE of the U.S. District Court of Rhode Island said that HHS Secretary ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. lacked the authority to eliminate entire programs and reorient the agency's priorities. 'The executive branch does not have the authority to order, organize or implement wholesale changes to the structure and function of the agencies created by Congress,' DuBose wrote. NOT SO FAST: President DONALD TRUMP ally and former Department of Government Efficiency adviser JAMES FISHBACK today is launching a super PAC called FSD PAC, designed to blunt ELON MUSK's political ambitions. FSD PAC, a play on Tesla's 'full self-driving,' stands for Full Support for Donald. Its strategy is to be a bulwark against Musk's threats — real or perceived — and comes as multiple Republicans shrug off his latest social media spat with the president as little to worry about in a world where Trump so thoroughly commands the loyalty of the GOP base. The PAC will spend money in any race where Musk follows through on his plan to bankroll a third-party hopeful, or where he backs a Democrat or a Republican primary challenge against a Trump-endorsed incumbent. The goal: Ensure that Musk's deep pockets don't undermine Trump's grip on the GOP. 'There's real frustration in our movement with Elon and his antics,' said Fishback, who stepped away from DOGE last month after Musk lashed out at Trump. 'I'm a big believer in what he's doing in the private sector. But when it comes to politics, he's dead wrong on this.' Fishback, who is represented by Lex Politica, the same firm that represents Musk and his SuperPAC AmericaPAC, is putting $1 million of his own money into his PAC. FSD PAC's formation comes amid an intensifying standoff between the world's wealthiest man and the Republican party. Musk, the GOP's largest individual donor, has publicly threatened to start his own party, the 'America Party,' if Congress passes Trump's sweeping domestic policy package, known as the Big Beautiful Bill. The Senate passed that bill today and it could land on the president's desk this today said he wasn't concerned Republicans would be swayed by Musk or his money. 'I don't think he should be playing that game with me,' the president said.A Trump ally added that he was not too concerned about Musk's threats, noting his lackluster track record of political endorsements. 'A guy named Elon Musk tried to play kingmaker in the 2024 Republican primary by backing Ron DeSanctimonious,' said the person, who was granted anonymity to speak freely. Musk also spent millions trying to sway a Wisconsin Supreme Court race, including handing out million-dollar checks to two Wisconsin voters, but the Democrat-backed candidate won handily anyway. 'For it to have any impact, you'd have to have Republicans leaving the Republican Party of President Trump and joining a new party just so they can take a check from Elon,' said a Republican strategist granted anonymity to discuss internal thinking. 'I just don't see that happening.' And FSD is just one of several pro-Trump organizations ready to attack Republicans deemed disloyal. Just last week, another pro-Trump group, MAGA Kentucky, aired a TV ad against Rep. THOMAS MASSIE, one of only two House Republicans who voted against the president's marquee legislation. The 30-second spot targets Massie for voting against legislation that cuts taxes and funds border security, and puts him alongside Iranian leader AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI, Sen. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.) and Rep. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-N.Y.) MESSAGE US — West Wing Playbook is obsessively covering the Trump administration's reshaping of the federal government. Are you a federal worker? A DOGE staffer? Have you picked up on any upcoming DOGE moves? We want to hear from you on how this is playing out. Email us at westwingtips@ Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe! POTUS PUZZLER Of which baseball team was former President GEORGE W. BUSH a part owner? (Answer at bottom.) Agenda Setting FIRST IN WEST WING PLAYBOOK: The State Department has begun sending letters to staffers canceling details to other organizations, which can relocate employees to places like military academies, universities and state and local governments, our NAHAL TOOSI and Ben report. 'The Secretary has decided to reduce the number and variety of detail assignments outside the Department,' wrote LEW J. OLOWSKI, a senior official within the department's Bureau of Global Talent Management, in an email to employees landing in inboxes this week. 'You are asked to return to the Department of State and use your broad skills for immediate staffing needs.' At least 200 people have received the notice, according to one person familiar with the move. Many of those affected were just getting to their details, enrolling their children in local schools and signing new leases. 'These are State Department employees, and the decision was made to have these individuals return to their place of employment so their skills can be used to advance diplomatic priorities before filling vacancies at other organizations,' a senior State official said in a statement to POLITICO. TRY A MONTH: Weather forecasters will now have another month to tap Defense Department satellite data used for hurricane forecasting, extending a deadline that would have ended the National Weather Service's access to the information on Monday, POLITICO's E&E News' DANIEL CUSICK reports. The termination of data products from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program received swift condemnation from scientists who said it could hurt hurricane forecasting accuracy as the 2025 storm season ramps up. The administration now expects to decommission DMSP processing no later than July 31. EASE UP: In recent weeks, DOGE officials at the SEC have sought meetings with staff to explore relaxing what some companies have called burdensome and unnecessary regulations, Reuters' DOUGLAS GILLISON and CHRIS PRENTICE report. That includes reworking JOE BIDEN-era rules adopted last year on so-called Special Purpose Acquisition Companies and requirements that private investment advisers confidentially disclose more data so regulators can better spot systemic risk. One person familiar said DOGE's involvement in crafting new policy has frustrated some SEC officials, raising concerns over whether a White House initiative should be involved in the work of a department long considered independent. Musk Radar IT'S A DOGE EAT DOGE WORLD: Trump threatened today to sic DOGE on Musk and left the door open to deporting his former adviser, Irie reports. 'DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon,' the president told reporters outside the White House before departing to the 'Alligator Alcatraz' immigration detention center in Florida. He added that DOGE should root out 'waste, fraud and abuse' from the billions of dollars in federal subsidies Musk's companies receive. It was the latest escalation in the president's feud with the billionaire, who since leaving his government role has criticized Trump's Republican megabill as 'insane,' threatened to unseat conservative lawmakers who supported the legislation and publicly speculated about creating a new political party. Asked if he was considering deporting Musk — who became a U.S. citizen in 2002 — to his native South Africa, Trump said, 'I don't know, we'll have to take a look.' In a post to Truth Social late last night, Trump wrote, 'without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa.' Musk exercised restraint in his response on X today. 'So tempting to escalate this. So, so tempting. But I will refrain for now.' In the Courts ALL TOGETHER NOW: Sixteen states are suing the Trump administration for 'unconstitutionally' ending more than $1 billion in mental health-related grants created in the wake of mass school shootings, the states' attorneys general said today, WaPo's BEN BRASCH reports. When the Education Department began discontinuing the grants in April, it claimed that schools diversifying their pool of psychologists were misusing the funds. The lawsuit asks the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in Seattle to declare the grant terminations as unlawful, reinstate the funding and prevent the department 'from imposing similar ideological conditions moving forward,' according to a news release from New York Attorney General LETITIA JAMES. What We're Reading Trump visits 'Alligator Alcatraz,' sending a political message (WaPo's Cat Zakrzewski, Lori Rozsa and Matt Viser) The Lawyer Who Became the Face of Trump's Deportation Agenda (Michael Linhorst for POLITICO Magazine) An Offhand Remark About Gold Bars, Secretly Recorded, Upended His Life (NYT's Lisa Friedman) POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER In 1989, after working on the presidential campaign of his father, GEORGE H.W. BUSH, the younger Bush (sort of) brought together a group of investors to buy an 86 percent share of the Texas Rangers for $86 million, according to the Center for Public Integrity. Bush borrowed the money from a bank in Midland where he was once a director. Bush still had some sway, including signing off on the Rangers trading then-20-year-old SAMMY SOSA to the Chicago White Sox in 1989 — which he in 2000 called his biggest mistake as an adult.
Politico
12 minutes ago
- Politico
Johnson, Trump push wary House Republicans for July 4 passage
In a key sign of the bill's momentum, influential budget hawks who have been key players in blocking the bill in recent months in order to forge better deals are not raising objections this time. It's an acknowledgement that Trump and GOP leaders will push through the bill at any cost this week. Still, Roy and other ultraconservatives have tried to push back on White House pressure to swallow the bill as is. He argued that Trump officials' efforts to undercut fiscal hawks' concerns about the legislation was 'garbage.' Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), who frequently acquiesces to Trump's pressure, also noted the Senate version 'violates the minimum fiscal framework … by roughly half a trillion dollars.' 'So members will have a decision to make,' she said. Another significant obstacle for GOP leaders are the dozens of GOP members concerned about deeper Medicaid cuts in the new bill. Many are in competitive districts and already shaken by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) torching his conference's Medicaid provisions on the Senate floor shortly after he announced his retirement. Johnson in recent days tried to push Senate GOP leaders to soften the Medicaid cuts in their bill, to no avail. Privately, he warned Republicans the Senate's approach could lose House Republicans the majority in the midterms. But shortly after the Senate cleared the bill Tuesday, Johnson said he was still pushing to pass the bill by July 4. At the same time, he appeared to acknowledge the reservations among some members. 'They went a little further than any of us would have preferred,' Johnson told reporters. The alarm among a swath of members about Medicaid has only escalated in recent days. On Monday, Johnson tried to calm anxious GOP members on a call with Main Street Caucus Republicans. But it went south for frustrated Republicans as Mehmet Oz, the Trump official who oversees Medicaid, insisted the Senate's cuts went after waste, fraud and abuse. Even a swath of conservative House Republicans don't want to vote on the Senate Medicaid cuts as they hear from their state hospital and the health care lobbies. Other moderate House Republicans declined to weigh in on the Senate-passed bill. That includes Rep. Don Bacon, a key centrist Republican who announced this week he would not seek reelection. 'I'm keeping my powder dry,' he said. Cassandra Dumay, Benjamin Guggenheim and Calen Razor contributed to this report.
