U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a veiled threat to tech billionaire Elon Musk, suggesting his administration may target Musk’s companies using the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)
In a video shared online, Trump said Musk was benefiting from substantial government subsidies, implying this could be reviewed.
“I think we’ll have to take a look. 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. Wouldn’t that be terrible? He gets a lot of subsidies,” Trump said.
The US president also linked Musk’s recent frustrations to the termination of the electric vehicle (EV) mandate, which he dismissed in characteristically blunt terms.
“But Elon’s very upset that the EV mandate is going to be terminated. And you know what? When you look at it, who wants – not everybody wants an electric car. I don’t want an electric car. I want to have maybe gasoline, maybe electric, maybe a hybrid, maybe someday a hydrogen. If you have a hydrogen car, it has one problem – it blows up, you know?” Trump said.
Reporter: Are you going to deport Elon Musk?
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
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 1, 2025
Tensions between the two high-profile figures have been escalating since the introduction of Trump’s controversial “Big, Beautiful Bill” – a sweeping tax and spending package.
Musk, once a vocal supporter and an integral part of DOGE, criticised the bill as an “insane spending bill” that would drive up the national debt. He went as far as threatening to launch a new political party and vowed to campaign against Republicans backing the legislation.
In retaliation, Trump lashed out, arguing that Musk’s companies, including Tesla and SpaceX, are deeply dependent on federal support. He even floated the idea of investigating the billionaire’s federal contracts and at one point, mused about deporting Musk to South Africa.
The rift underscores a dramatic fallout between two powerful figures who once shared a strong public alliance, now split over deep ideological differences, particularly on fiscal policy.