Elon Musk makes unexpected move as Trump's 'big beautiful bill' is given the green light by Congress
Elon Musk has fired an underhand dig at Donald Trump after the president's 'big, beautiful bill' received the green light in Congress.
After months of boasting about and promoting his 'one big, beautiful bill', Trump found success yesterday (3 July) when the Republican-controlled House of Representatives approved the bill with a 218-214 vote.
Among other things, the bill is set to deliver tax breaks Trump promised when he was running for president in 2024, while also cutting health and food safety programmes.
The bill will target the health programme Medicaid, and could leave nearly 12 million people without health insurance, according to the Congressional Budget Office. It will also add $3.4 trillion to the US's national debt over the next 10 years.
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Though Musk was previously a firm supporter of Trump, the pair hit a bump in their friendship over the bill, which Musk has described as 'utterly insane and destructive'.
What has Elon Musk said about Trump's 'big beautiful bill'?
Prior to the bill's success in Congress, Musk took to X, formerly Twitter, to claim that the latest draft would 'destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country'.
He went on to add that the motion would give 'handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future', and dubbed it 'political suicide for the Republican Party'.
Needless to say, Musk was unimpressed when the bill passed in Congress and took to X again to share his thoughts.
He wrote: "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! And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth."
Musk supports Trump rival
After Musk shared his disappointment over the passing of the bill, former Rep. Justin Amash replied to his post requesting that he show support for Thomas Massie, the United States representative for Kentucky's 4th congressional district, in the upcoming primaries.
Amash wrote: "Please support @RepThomasMassie. The establishment is working to primary him because he’s a genuine fiscal conservative and opposes the Big, Bloated Scam."
In response, Musk wrote: "I will."
The SpaceX founder doubled down on his promise when he responded to another X user who wrote: "I donated again to @RepThomasMassie’s re-election campaign. Who’s next?"
Musk answered: "Me."
Who is Thomas Massie?
Massie was one of just two House Republicans who voted against the bill, and he's voiced his criticism of Trump previously by describing the president's decision to launch strikes in Iran as 'not Constitutional'.
Meanwhile, Trump has branded Massie a 'pathetic loser', and made clear he isn't supportive of his chances in the Republican Primary elections.
On 22 June, Trump wrote on Truth Social: "We will have a wonderful American Patriot running against him in the Republican Primary, and I’ll be out in Kentucky campaigning really hard."
When Massie learned he had Musk's support, he told Fox News Digital: "Elon’s purchase of Twitter and cultivation of the X platform for free speech has already helped my cause immensely.
"It’s allowed me to bypass conventional media to refute the lies of both political parties and to provide transparency about how Congress works and what’s actually inside of the bills we vote on.
"Exposing the worst parts of the Big Beautiful Bill and reasserting Congressional War Powers has recently earned me the ire of the swamp and a fight for my re-election, but my re-election isn’t really about either of those issues specifically.
"It’s a referendum on whether members of Congress can think and act independently based on what’s best for the country, or whether all members of Congress must be reduced to rubber stamps for their respective political parties and swampy special interests.
"I’m extremely thankful to have Elon Musk’s financial assistance to continue my mission as an independent voice in Congress for my constituents."
When will Trump sign the bill?
The president plans to sign the bill into law today (July 4), with fighter jets flying over the White House as he does so.
"We'll be signing with those beautiful planes flying right over our heads," he told reporters.
Topics: Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Politics, US News, Twitter
Emily Brown