Billionaire Elon Musk, who has just criticized his great ally Donald Trump for the first time, confirmed that he is ending his mission to cut public spending after four months of unprecedented experiments.
„As my planned period as a special government employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President Donald Trump for giving me the opportunity to reduce unnecessary expenses,” the businessman wrote on his social network X on Wednesday.
"The 'DOGE' mission (the name of his government efficiency commission - ed.) will become even stronger in the future and will become a way of life in the government," said the owner of Tesla, SpaceX, and X.
In an interview with CBS, he took on a completely different tone.
"I was disappointed to see this massive spending bill - honestly - which increases the budget deficit," Elon Musk said in an interview, an excerpt of which was broadcast on Tuesday evening, referring to a major economic bill of the Republican president.
The head of Tesla and SpaceX also complained in The Washington Post that DOGE "is becoming the scapegoat for everything."
"The Big and Beautiful Law," as Donald Trump dubbed it, is currently being examined by Congress and aims to implement emblematic electoral promises, such as extending massive tax credits.
According to an analysis by a nonpartisan parliamentary agency, the current text would increase the federal deficit by $3.8 trillion over the next decade.
"I think a law can be great or it can be beautiful. But I don't know if it can be both," Elon Musk said in his interview with CBS News, which will be broadcast in full on Sunday.
The Rift Between Trump and Musk
The comment marks the first public crack in a truly extraordinary political alliance born during Donald Trump's campaign, which Elon Musk generously funded, and solidified in the fractured early days of the Republican's second term.
The wealthy entrepreneur of South African origin and the 78-year-old billionaire president had been inseparable in the days and weeks following the inauguration on January 20.
However, quite quickly, press articles signaled frictions between Donald Trump's protege and ministers, who were disturbed by his methods, considered brutal, or his attitude, perceived as fragile.
From the start, his mission was meant to be temporary, with his status as a "special government employee" limited to 130 days.
Elon Musk had announced at the end of April that he was stepping down to focus more on his businesses, especially Tesla, whose sales had plummeted, while its leader had become one of the most divisive figures in the world.