Donald Trump revealed from the White House on Wednesday that he has no regrets about his latest tax bill, even after a sharp public complaint from his so-called best friend Elon Musk.
The president sidelined Elon’s criticism during the press conference. The administration said widespread Republican support in Congress would need to pass the law. “Number one, we have to get a lot of votes,” Trump told reporters. “We can’t cut back. You know, we need to get a lot of support, what we need.”
The backlash came after Elon told CBS News that he was “frankly, I was disappointed to see a massive spending bill that reduced it and undermined the work the Doge team is doing.”
According to CBS, Elon expressed his dissatisfaction with the bill’s efficiency, or how it undermines Doge.
Elon calls bills in vain, and Trump defends compromise
Elon didn’t refrain when he described Trump’s so-called “one big beautiful bill law.”
“Whether the bill will grow, or I think it’s beautiful, I think it’s beautiful,” Elon said, “But I don’t know if it’s both.” His statement reflects warnings from budget analysts that the bill could increase its deficit by trillions over the next decade.
The bill cut the House last week, but it faces major changes in the Senate to beat skeptical Republicans. Trump admitted he is not satisfied with everything about the bill, saying, “We’re going to negotiate that bill. I’m not happy with that particular aspect, but I’m excited about the other aspects of it.
That’s how they get there. “He emphasized that the tax cuts are “the level of tax cuts we are trying to do.”
Under Elon’s leadership, Doge claims that since January it has saved $170 billion in taxpayer money by shutting down redundant divisions and cutting staff at multiple agencies.
The US International Development Agency was destroyed, and other offices saw significant staff cuts. A report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas estimates that Doge-linked reforms have reduced 275,000 jobs from the federal government.
Doge’s figures face scrutiny as Elon retreates from the government
Not everyone buys Elon’s mathematics. The Associated Press previously reported that 40% of government contracts have been cancelled by Doge. In February, the New York Times noted that Doge quietly removed five of its most promoted savings claims from its own website.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that Trump’s bill will increase the federal deficit by $3.8 trillion over the next decade. In 2025 alone, the deficit is expected to run at nearly $2 trillion, with national debt currently sitting at $36.2 trillion.
Despite these predictions, Trump and Congressional Republicans argue that the bill will cause sufficient economic growth to offset the impact of tax cuts.
Elon is retreating on his side. During Tesla’s first quarter revenue calls, he said he plans to cut his involvement with Doge and increase the time he runs Tesla, SpaceX and X.
Speaking to the Washington Post, Elon said he underestimated how bad federal bureaucracy is. “It’s way worse than I noticed,” he said.
“Doge has become a whip boy for everything,” his alliance with Trump and public comments sparked fierce protests against Tesla. “People were burning Teslas,” Elon told the Post. “Why do you do that? That’s not really cool.”
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