Trump: 'DOGE is the Monster That Might Come Back and Eat Elon'

President Donald Trump threatened on Tuesday that he would direct Elon Musk's Government Efficiency Department against him and would not rule out the possibility of expelling the richest man in the world. "DOGE is the monster that may have to come back and eat Elon," the president told reporters outside the White House before departing for the immigrant detention center "Alligator Alcatraz" in Florida. These comments are the latest escalation in the rift between Trump and his former top political benefactor and show how seriously the administration views Musk as a threat, as he has spent the past few days criticizing the president's domestic priorities. When asked whether he would consider expelling Musk to his native South Africa, Trump replied, "I don't know, we'll have to see." Musk, in a post on his social media platform X right after Trump's comments, said, "Physics sees through every lie perfectly."

He continued to post another article stating that the "core point" of the so-called "big and beautiful bill" from Trump is to "cut off funding for enforcing federal court contempt orders."

Musk, who in March, when he still had a good relationship with Trump, warned that "the tyranny of the judiciary" is undermining democracy by obstructing presidential actions, adding: "In name, this is aimed at expelling illegal immigrants, but clearly it also facilitates many other abuses of power by the President." The head of X, Tesla, and SpaceX on Monday threatened to use his vast fortune to establish a new political party if the "Great One Bill" secures congressional approval, and his persistence threatens to upend months of delicate negotiations in the House and Senate. He added that conservative lawmakers supporting the bill "will lose the primary elections next year if that’s the last thing I do on this earth" and stated that he "will" support Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), the most steadfast Republican of the bill.

While on his way to Florida on Tuesday morning, Trump called Massie "a very bad guy" and stated that anyone he supports will beat this congressman by 25 points.

In another post on Tuesday, just before 1 a.m., Trump hit back at Musk, claiming that DOGE, the widespread cost-cutting program that had previously given this billionaire unprecedented power over the federal government, should be used to review the countless government subsidies that his companies are receiving.

"Elon could receive more subsidies than any human in history, and without the subsidies, Elon might have to shut down his store and return to South Africa," Trump said. "No more missile launches, satellites, or electric car production, and our country will save a ASSET," the president added. "Perhaps we should let DOGE seriously consider this?" This post seems to be in response to Musk's post on Monday, calling the Republican party the "PIG PARTY" and establishing "a new political party that truly cares about the people."

Trump and Musk had a similar argument last month, quickly turning into personal attacks. Musk, seemingly remorseful, then restrained himself for a few weeks — but when the law seemed to be going in the right direction in the Senate, he unleashed criticism again. Musk has repeatedly criticized this bill because it will increase the federal deficit. Trump stated that the disagreement is due to the bill cutting electric vehicle subsidies, which will undermine Tesla. On Tuesday, Trump reiterated that Musk was angry about the cuts to electric vehicle subsidies — but added that "Elon could lose much more than that, I can tell you right now." In 2024, Musk broke the fundraising record of the Republican Party, and before the scandal broke, he was reportedly set to donate an additional 100 million dollars to Trump's political activities as the midterm elections approached. Speaking in Florida, Trump stated that he is not concerned that the Republican Party will back down in the face of Musk's threats. "I don't think he should play that game with me," the president added.