Trump says he’ll ‘look’ at deporting Musk as feud reignites

“We might have to put DOGE on Elon,” the president said on Tuesday.

The Senate voted 50-50 on Trump’s megabill. Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote to pass the massive tax and immigration bill.

President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday his administration will “have to take a look” at deporting Elon Musk after the billionaire reignited the feud with the president over his spending bill.

Musk, a South African national and a naturalized U.S. citizen, made several weekend X posts slamming Republicans over the “Big Beautiful Bill,” arguing that it was adding more debt.

“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 posted Monday afternoon. In political terms,”pork” generally refers to spending in lawmakers’ constituencies.

Trump pushed back with a Truth Social post early Tuesday, claiming Tesla CEO Musk was upset about the bill eliminating the electric vehicle (EV) mandate and that “Elon would have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa.”.

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FILE – Elon Musk, left, and then Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump attend a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa.
AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File

When asked by reporters later in the morning if he would deport Musk, Trump said, “We’ll have to take a look.”

“We might have to put DOGE on Elon,” he said, referring to the Department of Government Efficiency that Musk previously spearheaded as a special government employee.

Musk posted his response to Trump’s Tuesday morning comments on X.

“So tempting to escalate this. So, so tempting. But I will refrain for now,” Musk wrote.

Trump continued to hammer Musk later in the day as he visited Florida.

“If DOGE looks at Musk, we’re going to save a fortune,” he told reporters.

On Monday, Musk threatened to fund primary challengers of any Republican who voted on the bill “if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.”

When asked by ABC News about Musk’s criticism, the president reiterated that it was about the EV mandate.

“He should’ve known I wouldn’t do that, I couldn’t do that. I campaigned on those things for two years. I never understand why he did what he did, but he’s not going to get his mandate, and he better be careful, because he might not get anything else. You know what that means, right?” he said.

Musk continued to slam the bill on his social media platform, reposting other users who shared his opinion of the legislation with memes and claims that it would contribute to the debt and waste.

The war of words marked an end to a two and a half week detente between the president and Musk.

Last month, Musk, who had just left his role in the White House, went to X to criticize the spending bill and House Republicans who approved it.

“This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination,” he wrote on June 3. “Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”

Musk kept up his criticism and then turned his attention to the president, posting, “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,” he added. Musk spent more than $270 million to back Trump and other Republicans during the 2024 election cycle.

Trump took to Truth Social, contending that Musk was upset with the EV mandate removal from the bill and threatened to pull the billionaire’s government contracts.

Speaking to NBC News on June 7, Trump said Musk would “have to pay the consequences” if he chooses to fund Democratic candidates.

On June 11, Musk posted on X, “I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far” after he had a call with Trump earlier that week, sources told ABC News.

It is not immediately clear if the two men have spoken since then.