Donald Trump took a swipe at Elon Musk on Tuesday (July 1), suggesting he might consider booting the tech mogul from the United States over their escalating feud and a heated battle over government subsidies.
When asked by reporters whether he’d actually deport Musk, Trump didn’t rule it out.
“We’ll have to take a look,” he said before adding a bizarre jab: “We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? The monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn’t that be terrible? He gets a lot of subsidies.”
Reporter: Are you going to deport Elon Musk?
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 1, 2025
Trump: We'll have to take a look. We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? The monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn’t that be terrible? He gets a lot of subsidies. pic.twitter.com/6I0OAIv7Js
Musk didn’t hold back either. Responding to a clip of Trump’s remarks, he tweeted, “So tempting to escalate this. So, so tempting. But I will refrain for now.”
The tension between the two billionaires has been building for weeks, with Trump firing off a warning on Truth Social Monday night (June 30).
“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,” Trump wrote. “No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE.”
Trump also called for Musk’s former department, the Government Performance and Accountability Office—nicknamed DOGE—to investigate the subsidies Musk’s companies receive. “Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this?” Trump wrote. “BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!”
Elon Musk Threatens To Launch New Political Party If Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” Passes
The latest spat comes after Musk publicly slammed Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” a tax and spending proposal that Musk labeled a “disgusting abomination.”
Musk has threatened to fund primary challengers against any Republican who supports the legislation.
“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!” Musk wrote. “And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.”
He also floated launching a new political party if the bill becomes law. “If this outrageous spending bill is enacted,” he wrote, “the America Party will be established the very next day.”
Despite having poured more than $275 million into supporting Trump and other GOP candidates, Musk is now threatening to shift his financial firepower to defeat Republicans backing the bill.
He’s also thrown his support behind lawmakers like Rep. Thomas Massie, who opposed it.
Trump, meanwhile, hinted that Musk’s real issue is the bill’s removal of electric vehicle and solar subsidies. Musk has denied that’s his main concern, but Trump isn’t buying it.
The back-and-forth between the two billionaires shows no signs of cooling. For now, Musk remains in the U.S.—and still tweeting.