🇺🇸 President Donald Trump Suggests Possible Deportation of Elon Musk Amid Spending Bill Dispute

On July 1st, U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration would “have to look into” the possibility of deporting billionaire Elon Musk after the Tesla founder continued criticizing the president over a multi-trillion-dollar spending bill.

Musk, a naturalized American citizen originally from South Africa, posted a series of statements on the social platform X over the weekend, criticizing Republican lawmakers for supporting the “big and beautiful” bill, arguing it would increase the national debt.

On Truth Social the morning of July 1st, Trump fired back, accusing Musk of being upset because the bill removed the federal EV (electric vehicle) manufacturing mandate—something that could financially hurt Tesla.

“Elon might have to shut down and go back to South Africa,” Trump wrote.

When asked directly by reporters if this statement implied possible deportation of Musk, Trump responded:

“We’ll have to look into that.”

He then added:

“Maybe we’ll have DOGE handle Elon,” referencing the Department of Government Efficiency, which Musk previously led as a special advisor in the administration.

Musk responded on X, saying he would “refrain from escalating the situation.”

Later that day, during a visit to Florida, Trump continued his attack:

“If DOGE investigates Musk, we could save a fortune.”

Just a day earlier, Musk had announced he would financially back primary challengers to unseat any Republican lawmakers who voted in favor of the spending bill, saying:

“Even if it’s the last thing I do in this life.”

When asked by ABC News about Musk’s criticism, Trump claimed the issue stemmed from removing the EV mandate:

“He should’ve known I couldn’t keep that in. I’ve campaigned for two years against it. I don’t know why Elon’s acting like this, but if he’s not careful, he might not get anything anymore. You know what I mean, right?”

This public clash ends a roughly two-week lull between the former allies. Last month, Musk, who had just stepped down from his advisory role in the White House, began openly criticizing the spending bill and the Republicans who supported it.

He escalated his attacks against the President, writing:

“Without me, Trump would’ve lost the election, the Democrats would control the House, and Republicans would only have 51 seats in the Senate.”

In the 2024 election cycle, Musk spent over $270 million supporting Trump and Republican candidates.

Trump later warned he would cancel all government contracts with Musk, emphasizing that the billionaire “will pay the price” if he keeps supporting Democratic candidates.

On June 7th, in an interview with NBC News, Trump warned:

“If Elon funds the Democrats, he’ll face consequences.”

However, on June 11th, Musk posted on X that he “regrets some of the posts targeting President Trump last week,” admitting they “went too far.” ABC News sources said Musk called Trump directly to express his regret.

It remains unclear whether the two have spoken since.

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