Trump attacks Musk and questions their future ties amid growing feud

President Donald Trump expressed disappointment with Elon Musk's public opposition to the tax-cut and spending bill, a key part of Trump's agenda. Trump claimed he had helped Musk and was surprised by Musk's criticism, suggesting it was motivated by the proposed elimination of consumer tax credits for electric vehicles. Musk, CEO of Tesla, opposes the bill due to concerns about increasing federal deficits. Trump implied that Musk was upset because he missed working for him, citing a pattern of former administration officials becoming hostile after leaving. Musk responded on social media, saying he was fine with the cuts to electric vehicle credits if Republicans removed wasteful spending from the bill. Musk had previously worked with Trump to cut federal spending, but achieved less than expected, cutting about half of 1% of total spending. Musk's efforts had caused disruption across federal agencies and prompted protests at Tesla outlets. Trump's criticism of Musk led to a 6% drop in Tesla's shares, which were already down 3% before Trump spoke. Musk has been a powerful Trump ally, having spent nearly $300 billion to boost Republicans in the 2024 election.