Trump Says Elon Musk Will Be Cut Off From Subsidies and "Return to South Africa" If DOGE Investigates Him

President Donald Trump criticized Elon Musk on Monday evening in a lengthy post on Truth Social, accusing the Tesla CEO of making money from government subsidies while pretending to oppose public spending. Trump wrote: "Elon Musk knew, long before he supported me for president, that I strongly opposed the EV Order. It's ridiculous, and has always been an important part of my campaign." He then stated that electric cars might be fine, but people shouldn't be forced to buy them, and he criticized Elon for profiting from the government's record-breaking subsidies. Trump also suggested that if the money stops flowing, Elon will have to close everything—rockets, satellites, electric cars—and go back to South Africa. He ended his speech by criticizing DOGE, the Government Efficiency Agency, saying, "Maybe we should let DOGE take a serious look at this issue? A lot of money needs to be saved!" This has a heavy impact because DOGE is Elon’s own idea, created with the goal of cutting down on 1 trillion dollars of government wasteful spending. Now Trump wants to use it to investigate the very person who initiated it. Meanwhile, Tesla's shares fell 5.8% in pre-market trading in response to the two men publicly arguing again. Elon threatens Republican supporters of Trump's debt bill A few hours after Trump's post, Elon posted on X a threat to every Republican member of Congress supporting Trump's latest tax and spending bill. He wrote: "Every member of Congress has advocated for cutting government spending and then immediately voted for the largest debt increase in history, so they should hang their heads in shame! And they will lose the primary election next year if that's the last thing I do on this earth." The message was posted just as the Senate was preparing to vote on the bill proposed by Trump. The bill is 940 pages long and includes a $5 trillion increase to the debt ceiling while cutting federal aid programs. The vote is part of a procedural process called vote-a-rama, a chaotic session where lawmakers rush through dozens of amendments. The session began on Monday morning and continued for over 18 hours on Tuesday without a final vote. The price level of 3.3 trillion dollars deepens the divide within the Republican Party. The Congressional Budget Office released its estimate on Sunday, putting the cost of the Senate bill proposed by Donald Trump at $3.3 trillion. This figure is $800 billion higher than the version passed by the House last month. It would raise the total national debt of the United States to $36.2 trillion. Some Republican members believe that the CBO's figures are inflated and that continuing the current policy should not be counted as new spending, but that does not ease the market. Global bondholders have pulled away from the U.S. Treasury, sensing the instability. Democratic minority leader Chuck Schumer told the Senate that this bill would "steal the health care services of the people, increase electricity bills to pay for tax cuts for billionaires." John Thune countered by defending the tax cuts as a measure to support families and small businesses, stating that spending on Medicaid is rising too quickly, claiming that the bill includes reforms to make the program more sustainable. Elon has not stopped yet. In a private post, he stated, "America is going bankrupt extremely quickly, but everyone seems to be whistling past the graveyard." He mentioned that the Defense Department's budget has exceeded $1 trillion a year and that currently, interest payments on the national debt have also surpassed $1 trillion and are rising. "We must cut spending," he wrote. He also noted that the debt ceiling is the only remaining tool that can actually force the government to cut fraud and waste, adding, "That's why the debt ceiling law exists!" The Senate voted 51-49 to open debate on the bill late Saturday. The proposal includes tax cuts, border security, immigration, and an increase in the military budget. Trump wants the entire bill signed and sealed before the 4th of July holiday, according to his staff. And if Elon continues to push, it seems the White House could oppose even more strongly.