Musk explains why he changed his stance on Trump
Musk made the comments in a thread on X when asked by a user what prompted him to go from 'loving' Trump 'as much as a straight man can' to opposing the president and attacking his policies.
'Increasing the deficit from an already insane $2 [trillion] under Biden to $2.5T. This will bankrupt the country,' Musk replied.
Musk was a key supporter in Trump's return to the White House last November. Following the president's inauguration, the tech billionaire became a key figure in the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was established to cut federal spending and costs.
The Trump-Musk honeymoon turned out to be short-lived, after the billionaire stepped down from his post last month. Since then, Musk has been critical of Trump's flagship legislation – the One Big, Beautiful Bill – which envisions massive increases in spending, cuts to social programs, and a sharp increase to the budget deficit limit.
The two have been locked in a war of words, with the president accusing his former ally of receiving more government subsidies 'than any human being in history,' while openly considering the potential deportation of the South African-born entrepreneur.
This week, the One Big, Beautiful Bill narrowly passed the Senate and House, and was signed into law by Trump on July 4.
Musk, having pledged to launch his own political party if the bill passes, announced on Independence Day the creation of the America Party, representing the '80% in the middle.'
Musk has said he wants to make his new party active by the midterm elections next year, suggesting that he will focus on a handful of seats to take advantage of 'the razor-thin legislative margins' and therefore have 'the deciding vote on contentious laws.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
5 hours ago
- Russia Today
Trump calls Musk a ‘train wreck'
US President Donald Trump has lashed out at Elon Musk over his plan to launch a new political party, accusing him of promoting 'disruption and chaos' and undermining the stability of the American political system. In a post on Truth Social late Sunday, Trump criticized Musk for what he described as erratic behavior in recent weeks, calling the tech tycoon a 'train wreck.' He also predicted that Musk's proposal to form a third party – the America Party – would fail and only serve to divide voters. 'I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely 'off the rails,' essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks,' Trump wrote. 'He even wants to start a Third Political Party, despite the fact that they have never succeeded in the United States – the system seems not designed for them.' 'The one thing Third Parties are good for is the creation of Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS,' the president said, adding that the Democratic Party has already brought 'enough of that.' Trump also defended his recently signed multitrillion-dollar spending package, dubbed the One Big Beautiful Bill, which has drawn sharp criticism from Musk. The president claimed that the tech billionaire opposes the bill only because it eliminates federal electric vehicle mandates that benefit Musk's business. Trump also took issue with Musk's reported attempt to have one of his associates appointed to run NASA, noting that the candidate was a Democrat and that the appointment would have raised concerns over a conflict of interest, given Musk's ties to the space industry. 'My number one charge is to protect the American public!' Trump wrote. The remarks follow Musk's announcement on Friday that he is moving ahead with the creation of the America Party, pledging to 'give freedom back to the people' and attacking both major parties for 'bankrupting' the country. The tech billionaire did not elaborate on the progress he has made with the party, but briefly outlined his strategy and hinted that the first move can be expected next year during the midterm elections in November, when 33 of the 100 Senate seats and all 435 House seats will be up for grabs. 'The way we're going to crack the uniparty system is by using a variant of how Epaminondas shattered the myth of Spartan invincibility at Leuctra: extremely concentrated force at a precise location on the battlefield,' Musk stated. Musk previously insisted that his criticism of Trump and his policies was not about subsidies, but was triggered by a sharp hike in the budget deficit, which he had been recruited to reduce. He was one of the key figures in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was established to cut excessive federal spending and costs. Musk and Trump have been locked in a war of words, with the president accusing his former ally of receiving more government subsidies 'than any human being in history,' threatening to sic DOGE on him, and even mulling the potential deportation of the South African-born entrepreneur.
Russia Today
8 hours ago
- Russia Today
US food poverty doubles in 4 years
Food insecurity among American adults has nearly doubled since 2021, Axios reported on Sunday, citing data from Morning Consult. The striking statistic comes amid steep cuts to federal food assistance programs in the world's largest economy, fueling concerns about the welfare of millions. US President Donald Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' signed into law last week includes $230 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) over the next decade. The legislation imposes stricter work requirements, extending mandates to individuals up to age 64 and reducing exemptions for parents. The proportion of US adults reporting that they sometimes or often do not have enough to eat has been steadily rising in recent years, according to the survey. In May, 15.6% of adults were classified as food insecure, nearly twice the rate recorded in 2021. At that time, expanded SNAP benefits and an enhanced Child Tax Credit had helped reduce poverty and increase access to food. The increase in food insecurity comes as the US economy shows signs of strength and stock markets hit record highs. John Leer, chief economist at Morning Consult, noted a problem: 'There's such a disconnect now between record highs on Wall Street and elevated levels of food insecurity.' In Philadelphia, the Share Food Program, a major food bank network, has reported a 120% increase in demand over the past three years. 'As soon as the government support pulled back in 2022, we started to see the numbers go up,' the outlet quoted Executive Director George Matysik as saying. The situation is likely to worsen following the recent passage of sweeping cuts to the SNAP by Congress requiring states to increase funding and imposes stricter work requirements for recipients. Critics say the changes could strip benefits from millions or reduce the amount of aid they receive. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that expanded work requirements could remove food assistance from 3.2 million people in an average month, the outlet noted. Food banks across the country are reportedly bracing for increased demand as the cuts take effect, the outlet said. Many organizations are already struggling to meet their current needs, and the anticipated rise in food insecurity is expected to strain resources further.
Russia Today
13 hours ago
- Russia Today
Ex-CIA chief could face Russiagate ‘perjury' probe
Former CIA Director John Brennan could face a perjury probe over his role in the 2016 'Russiagate' conspiracy, which claimed Moscow worked to undermine Hilary Clinton's unsuccessful presidential campaign in favor of Donald Trump, according to US media. The current chief of the US spy agency, John Ratcliffe, has claimed that senior security officials manipulated aspects of the investigation, which was commissioned by then-President Barack Obama in 2016. Republican critics have long maintained that the final document was politically motivated and intended to damage Trump's first presidency. Moscow has denied interfering in the US electoral process or 'colluding' with Trump's campaign. Last month, Ratcliffe declassified an internal CIA review of the 2016 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA), which some media outlets claim proves that Brennan lied under oath during a closed-door congressional hearing in 2017. Allegations of this nature have circulated for years. 'John Ratcliffe is a genius,' a congressional source told Breitbart News in comments published on Sunday. 'He just got career CIA officers to admit the 2016 ICA was corrupted and to offer up Brennan on a silver platter… The DOJ could have a field day with this.' A second source said lawmakers were 'stunned' by the contents of the internal review, claiming Brennan 'knew the entire time that he was trying to wreck Trump's presidency before it even started.' The declassified review, released June 26, includes testimony from an intelligence official who described Brennan's influence over the inclusion of references to the Steele dossier in the ICA. The dossier – a collection of unverified allegations linking Trump's campaign to Russia – was compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele and funded by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign. The intelligence official said Brennan 'showed a preference for narrative consistency over analytical soundness.' The spy chief reportedly wrote to skeptics: 'My bottom line is that I believe that the information warrants inclusion in the report.' In his 2017 testimony, Brennan reportedly claimed he had not advocated for the dossier to be mentioned in the ICA. Senior US intelligence officials are rarely prosecuted for misleading the public, even when the available evidence appears compelling. One notable example is James Clapper, the former Director of National Intelligence, who told Congress in 2013 that the National Security Agency was not 'wittingly' collecting data on millions of American later leaked by Edward Snowden showed that the agency was doing precisely that. The former NSA contractor is facing prosecution in the US for exposing the mass surveillance program and was granted asylum in Russia.
