President Donald Trump unleashed a fiery new salvo in his growing war of words with Elon Musk on Tuesday, warning that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — a signature Trump-era agency — might “have to go back and eat Elon,” after the tech billionaire stepped up his campaign against Trump’s sweeping “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
“DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn’t that be terrible?” Trump said, flashing a grin to reporters outside the White House before departing for a tour of a new migrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades. “He gets a lot of subsidies. But Elon was very upset that the EV mandate is going to be terminated.”
Trump’s comments followed a reporter’s question about whether he might consider deporting Musk, a native of South Africa. The president shrugged, saying: “I don’t know, we’ll have to take a look.”
The clash marks a dramatic breakdown in what was once a close political alliance. Musk previously served as a senior adviser in Trump’s government efficiency team, attending Cabinet meetings and helping shape policies on energy and tech. But things soured after Trump signed legislation this month repealing California’s electric vehicle mandates and eliminating emissions regulations that directly impact Tesla.
“When you look at it… not everybody wants an electric car,” Trump said Tuesday. “I don’t want an electric car. I want maybe gasoline. Maybe electric, maybe a hybrid. Maybe someday a hydrogen. But hydrogen blows up — so maybe not.”
Musk Fires Back, Hints at New Party
Musk, who has been lobbying Republican lawmakers to kill the “Big Beautiful Bill,” responded to Trump’s comments with a cryptic post on X (formerly Twitter): “So tempting to escalate this. So, so tempting. But I will refrain for now.”
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has intensified his efforts in recent days, warning that the bill — a major piece of Trump’s second-term agenda — would inflate the national debt by $5 trillion and devastate industries of the future. On Monday, Musk posted a meme of Pinocchio on fire, slamming lawmakers who support the bill as liars and pledging to back primary challenges against them.
“This is the largest debt ceiling hike in U.S. history,” Musk wrote. “If you vote for this, your face will be on this poster in the primaries.”
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