Donald Trump and Elon Musk Engage in Fierce Dispute Over "One Big Beautiful Bill"
The confrontation between US President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk is becoming increasingly tense, as both continuously publicly attack each other around the "One Big Beautiful Bill" - a key tax bill being considered by the US Congress and viewed by Trump as a significant legislative milestone for his new term.
Donald Trump, who previously offered many praises and support for Elon Musk, publicly expressed deep disappointment with the Tesla CEO after a series of critical statements from the billionaire. "I am very surprised. I always liked Elon. But he should criticize me rather than attack the bill, because that bill is truly wonderful," Trump stated during a meeting with German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office, according to The Hill on June 5th.
The President emphasized that he and Musk once had a "great" relationship, but now he is unsure if that relationship still exists. Trump also could not hide his frustration, believing that Musk "knew well" all the bill's provisions, including the elimination of tax credits for electric vehicles - which upset Musk.
"He knew the entire content of the bill from the beginning, even understanding it better than most others. And he didn't object until he withdrew from the government. I am truly disappointed. I helped him a lot," Trump added, hinting that Elon Musk is "turning his back".
Directly responding on social media X, Elon Musk countered that he had never seen the bill and criticized it as being passed hastily, to the point where "almost no one in Congress had time to read it". Not stopping there, Musk publicly criticized the bill's content as "unfair", maintaining electric and solar vehicle incentives while not mentioning petroleum subsidies, and condemning local expenditures in the bill as "disgusting".
"In the entire history of civilization, there has never been a bill that was both big and beautiful. Everyone knows that. Either you have a thick and ugly bill, or a thin and beautiful one," Musk sarcastically wrote on X.
The confrontation between the two giants is not limited to policy disputes. Elon Musk subsequently emphasized that: "Without me, Mr. Trump would have lost the election". He even shocked by implying Trump's name appears in documents related to pedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein's case - a statement considered extremely sensitive and clearly personally attacking.
This shocking incident strongly impacted the financial market. According to Reuters, Tesla's stock dropped by 15% on June 5th - a significant decline believed to be related to the tension between Musk and Trump. Meanwhile, Trump Media & Technology Group's stock - Trump's media company - also dropped 7.82% on June 6th, according to market data.
The escalating tension between Donald Trump and Elon Musk is not just a personal verbal battle, but also reveals deep contradictions between two power symbols in American politics and technology.
