U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday hinted at the possibility of deporting billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk following the latter’s recent public criticism of the administration’s key spending initiative.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump responded to questions about Musk’s remarks by saying, “I don’t know. We’ll have to take a look,” before adding what appeared to be a veiled warning: “We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon.”
The president’s comments referred to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the agency formerly headed by Musk before he stepped down in late May. Trump hinted that the department might now scrutinize the government subsidies granted to Musk’s companies, including Tesla and SpaceX.
Trump suggested Musk’s criticism stemmed from the removal of electric vehicle incentives in the revised “One Big Beautiful Bill” spending package.
“He’s losing his EV mandate,” Trump said. “He’s very upset about things, but you know, he could lose a lot more than that.”
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In a post on his Truth Social platform Monday night, Trump wrote that without federal subsidies, Musk “would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa.”
Musk, who was once Trump’s top donor during the 2024 presidential race and a regular presence around the president, has seen relations with the administration deteriorate in recent weeks. The fallout comes as Musk accused the GOP of turning its back on the electric vehicle and clean energy sectors.
The tech billionaire has also floated the idea of forming a new political group — the “America Party” — if the bill is passed in its current form.