‘It can either be big or beautiful, not both…’: Elon Musk disappointed by Donald Trump’s ‘Big beautiful bill’; sign of fracture in key relationship?
Elon Musk is disappointed with Donald Trump! The Tesla CEO, who is one of Trump’s biggest supporters, has expressed disapproval of Trump’s primary legislative proposal, ‘The One Big Beautiful Bill’.’This marks a significant fracture in their partnership that was established during the last year’s campaign and was set to transform American governance and federal administration, reports Associated Press.The tech magnate, who backed Trump’s campaign with a minimum contribution of $250 million and has served his administration as a senior adviser, expressed disappointment regarding what the US President refers to as his “big beautiful bill.”In his CBS appearance, Musk characterised it as a “massive spending bill” that increases the federal deficit and negatively impacts the operations of his Department of Government Efficiency, abbreviated as DOGE.
The proposed legislation combines tax reductions with strengthened immigration control measures. “I think a bill can be big or it could be beautiful,” Musk said. “But I don’t know if it could be both.”The CBS interview was broadcast on Tuesday night. The Republican party has successfully passed the legislation through the House and it is currently under Senate deliberation.Meanwhile, Elon Musk is withdrawing from his governmental responsibilities to focus on his business ventures, including Tesla and SpaceX. He has announced his intention to decrease his involvement in political funding, stating that his contributions have been sufficient.Also Read | Remittances tax: How Donald Trump’s ‘The One Big Beautiful Bill’ may turn out to be ugly for Indians in the USMusk’s experience in government affairs seems to have left him somewhat disillusioned. Despite his ambitious goal for DOGE to achieve $1 trillion in spending reductions, the actual results have fallen considerably short of expectations.In his interview with The Washington Post, he expressed his frustration with governmental processes, acknowledging that the challenges within federal administration were more significant than he had initially anticipated. He specifically noted the difficulties in implementing changes in Washington DC.This marks a shift from his earlier enthusiastic approach towards governmental reform, during which he actively participated in White House events, organised political gatherings, and voiced strong concerns about government expenditure levels.Musk has always expressed abundant admiration for Donald Trump.“The more I’ve gotten to know President Trump, the more I like the guy,” Musk said at one point. “Frankly, I love him.”Also Read | ‘Will not discuss…’: US tells WTO that India has no basis to impose retaliatory duties on 29 American productsTrump has reciprocated the appreciation, calling Musk “a truly great American.” When Tesla saw a sales decline, he demonstrated his support by displaying vehicles on the White House driveway.The influence of Musk’s remarks about the bill on the legislative discussion remains uncertain. During the transition phase, he assisted in generating resistance to a spending proposal as the nation faced an imminent federal government shutdown.However, Trump continues to be the leading influence within the Republican Party, with numerous lawmakers showing reluctance to oppose the president when he advocates for his policy objectives.
