Elon Musk derides Donald Trump’s tax invoice as ‘a disgusting abomination’

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Elon Musk has lambasted Donald Trump’s signature tax invoice as “a disgusting abomination”, in an outburst that threatens to destroy the connection between the US president and his billionaire backer.

In a sequence of posts on his social media website X on Tuesday, Musk, who abruptly left the Trump administration final week, derided the laws as a “huge, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending invoice”.

He added: “Disgrace on those that voted for it: you already know you probably did flawed. You understand it.”

The billionaire’s aggressive intervention comes at a vital time for Trump’s “large, stunning invoice”, which narrowly handed the Home of Representatives final month and must be permitted by the Senate whether it is to develop into legislation.

Trump has imposed a deadline of July 4 to move the laws, which may outline his second time period and set the course for the US economic system. He has heaped stress on Republican senators who’re alarmed concerning the package deal, which might slash taxes, cut back social spending and improve the federal debt.

Hours earlier than Musk’s feedback on X, Trump attacked Republican Senator Rand Paul, a staunch fiscal conservative who has taken situation with the invoice’s provisions to boost the restrict on how a lot the federal authorities can borrow by $5tn.

“Rand Paul has little or no understanding of the BBB, particularly the great GROWTH that’s coming,” Trump mentioned on his Fact Social social media platform on Tuesday morning. “The BBB is a giant WINNER!!!”

Different fiscally conservative senators — together with Wisconsin’s Ron Johnson, Mike Lee of Utah and Rick Scott of Florida — have known as for deeper spending cuts within the invoice.

One other group of Republican senators — together with Susan Collins of Maine, Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski and Josh Hawley of Missouri — have criticised the invoice’s proposed cuts to Medicaid, a authorities healthcare scheme for lower-income and disabled People.

Trump’s get together controls the Senate by a 53-47 margin, which means the Republicans can solely afford to lose the help of three senators if the spending invoice is to move the higher chamber.

Requested about Musk’s feedback, White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned: “Look, the president already is aware of the place Elon Musk stood on this invoice. It doesn’t change the president’s opinion. That is one large, stunning invoice, and he’s sticking to it.”

However Musk’s intervention is more likely to embolden the president’s Republican critics. Paul agreed with Musk on X, saying, “We will and should do higher.” Lee replied: “The Senate should make this invoice higher.”

Musk’s broadside got here simply 5 days after a send-off for him within the Oval Workplace and escalates his row with the White Home, which he has criticised over tariff coverage and blamed for not totally backing his efforts to chop $1tn from the US price range.

Whereas the world’s richest man has avoided criticising the president, whose marketing campaign he backed with greater than $250mn final yr, he has distanced himself from elements of Trump’s agenda. He has additionally indicated that he would halt spending on Maga candidates.

Musk has mentioned his involvement with the administration has introduced “blowback” towards his companies, particularly Tesla, whose gross sales have slumped in Europe.

Final week, Musk informed CBS Information that he was “caught in a bind” as a result of he didn’t need to communicate up towards Trump but in addition didn’t need to “take duty for every part this administration’s doing”.

On Tuesday he wrote of Trump’s invoice on X: “I’m sorry, however I simply can’t stand it anymore.”