President Donald Trump, asked about deporting Elon Musk as a feud between the two former allies reignited, replied: “I don’t know, we’ll have to take a look.”
Musk was born in South Africa but became a naturalized U.S. citizen more than two decades ago. The billionaire has sharply criticized Trump’s One, Big, Beautiful Bill for its multi-trillion-dollar expansion of the U.S. federal debt pile.
“We might have to put DOGE on Elon,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday morning, referring the the department Musk spearheaded at the White House until May, tasked with cutting fraud and waste in federal spending.
Trump said “DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon,” pointing to the subsidies and contracts Musk’s businesses have from the federal government.
Musk, CEO of Tesla, an electric automaker, has also taken issue with the scrapping of subsidies for electric vehicles in the bill, while those for fossil fuel companies remain in place.
He is CEO of SpaceX, a space tech firm with billions of dollars in federal contracts.
“Elon Musk knew, long before he so strongly Endorsed me for President, that I was strongly against the EV Mandate,” Trump posted to Truth Social late on Monday after Musk’s renewed criticism of his bill.
“It is ridiculous, and was always a major part of my campaign. Electric cars are fine, but not everyone should be forced to own one.
“Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa.
“No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE. Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!”
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
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