The world’s richest man spent yesterday denouncing a bipartisan budget package aimed at preventing a government shutdown. Elon Musk took to his social media platform X, calling it “one of the worst bills ever written” and demanded that it be repealed.
He urged his hundreds of millions of followers to contact their elected officials, claiming that any lawmaker who supported the continuing resolution (CR) should be removed.
Then President-Elect Donald Trump joined in. Trump, too, used his social media network Truth Social to urge Republicans to be smart and tough. “If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF,” he wrote in an email. Trump said the bill would be “so destructive to our country,” and he warned any Republican who voted for it with being “primaried.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who had previously defended the funding bill, rejected it. Following Musk and Trump’s one-two punch, lawmakers now have two days to prevent a partial government shutdown.
Before the bill was canceled, Trump told Fox News that Johnson will “easily remain speaker” if he “acts decisively and tough” and removes “all of the traps being set by Democrats” in the budget plan. His tone differed from a viral photo showing Johnson, Trump, Musk, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. eating McDonald’s on their way to a UFC fight after the election.
Musk, the Tesla CEO, supported Trump throughout the race, on the campaign route, on X, on podcasts, and by appealing to his tech and Silicon Valley colleagues.
He also contributed monetarily, totaling almost $200 million through his America Political Action Committee. After winning the election, Trump appointed Musk and adversary turned backer Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a brand-new program named the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Musk has featured in images at Mar-a-Lago several times since the election, assisting Trump with his transition and dining with foreign officials and other tech millionaires. Last night, Trump and Musk had dinner with Jeff Bezos, the executive chairman of Amazon. There have been suggestions that Musk may overstay his welcome or irritate members in Trump’s close circle.
According to the Washington Post, Musk has significantly more influence over X than Trump, let alone the entire Congress. Will this bother Trump at some point? It is yet to be seen.
However, not everything Musk proposes is implemented. Musk wanted Howard Lutnick, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, to be Trump’s pick for Treasury Secretary. Trump chose Scott Bessent, a hedge fund manager who spent years at Soros Capital Management.
Notably, Musk and Trump look to be at odds in the run-up to Trump’s return to the presidency. Musk stated that no legislation should be passed until Trump takes office for the second time in January. Trump, on the other side, wrote that “everything should be done, and fully negotiated, prior to my taking office on the 20th of January 2025.”
In a statement, Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump-JD Vance transition, said: “As soon as President Trump issued his formal stance on the CR, Republicans on Capitol Hill echoed it. President Donald Trump currently leads the Republican Party. The term “full stop” refers to the spending bill. Tesla didn’t immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment.
