Trump threatens Elon Musk with investigations amid fresh budget feud

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Jul 1, 2025

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President Donald Trump lashed out at billionaire Elon Musk on Tuesday, threatening to investigate his companies and even his immigration status amid their feud over the "Big Beautiful Bill."

With Musk slamming the bill as a debt-exploding “abomination,” Trump warned that the world’s richest man has “a lot to lose” if the feds investigate the massive subsidies for Musk’s companies like Tesla and SpaceX.

“You know, he can lose a lot more than that, I’ll tell you right now,” Trump told reporters outside the White House. “Elon can lose a lot more than that.”

Trump warned Musk that the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, that he created and led, could be used to investigate wasteful spending and subsidies benefiting the mogul himself.

“DOGE could be the monster that turns around and eats Elon,” Trump said.

Trump even made it clear that he would consider looking into the immigration status of Musk, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born and raised in South Africa and Canada.

Asked whether he will seek to deport Musk, Trump said: “We’ll have to take a look.”

He added: “Without (government) subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa.”

Musk reposted a video of Trump’s remarks with a warning that the feud wasn’t done.

“So tempting to escalate this. So so tempting. But I will refrain for now,” he tweeted.

Trump could certainly cause plenty of financial pain for Musk by ending massive government contracts practically with the stroke of a pen.

It would theoretically be much tougher to take away Musk’s citizenship, although some reports say the mogul may have skirted some employment rules before becoming a U.S. permanent resident.

The two men portrayed themselves as the best of friends after Musk endorsed Trump’s election last summer and bankrolled his campaign to the tune of more than $200 million.

Musk played a huge role in the first weeks of Trump’s administration, but he broke dramatically with Trump over the president’s sprawling package of deep tax and spending cuts.

The mogul branded the budget-busting bill a “disgusting abomination” and ramped up his attacks as the Republican Senate struggles to pass its version of it, warning them that a vote for it would amount to “political suicide.”

“Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame,” he wrote on X. “And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.”

Musk later claimed he will create a new political party if Republicans pass the bill, accusing the GOP of being no different from Democrats, calling the two main parties “the porky pig party.”

He even pledged to bankroll the reelection campaign of spending hawk Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., whom Trump has vowed to oust.

“If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day,” he wrote. “Our country needs an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uniparty so that the people actually have a VOICE.”

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