House Speaker Mike Johnson has expressed his disappointment over Elon Musk’s recent critique of President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill.” Johnson, who considers Musk a friend, was surprised by Musk’s harsh words regarding the bill.
“Let me say this. It’s very disappointing. I have come to consider Elon a good friend. He’s obviously a very intelligent person, and he’s done a lot of great work,” Johnson told reporters on Tuesday. Despite a lengthy conversation with Musk on the bill’s virtues, Johnson noted, “But with all due respect, my friend Elon is terribly wrong about the one big beautiful bill.”
The conversation between Johnson and Musk occurred on Monday, where Johnson took the opportunity to elaborate on the bill’s benefits to Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. “He and I spoke for, I think, more than 20 minutes on the telephone, and I extolled all the virtues of the bill and he seemed to understand that,” Johnson mentioned during a doorstop interview.
On the same day, Musk posted on social media, describing Trump’s tax bill as a “massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill” and a “disgusting abomination.” Musk’s post was clear in its disapproval: “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore,” he wrote, further criticizing those who supported it by saying, “Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”
The House of Representatives passed Trump’s bill on May 22, and it is now awaiting Senate approval. Republicans aim to have the bill ready for Trump’s signature by July 4. However, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget reports that the bill is expected to increase the U.S. deficit by $2.5 trillion over the next decade.
This is not the first occasion where Musk has voiced his discontent with Trump’s tax bill. In a “CBS Sunday Morning” interview aired on June 1, Musk expressed his disappointment over the bill’s impact on the budget deficit, stating, “I was like, disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decrease it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing.”
Adding to his previous remarks, Musk commented, “I think a bill can be big, or it could be beautiful. I don’t know if it could be both.” His recent criticism follows his announcement of leaving the Trump administration after a 130-day tenure as a special government employee heading the White House DOGE office.
In a separate CBS interview, Musk acknowledged having “differences of opinion” with the Trump administration, though he refrained from detailing them. Musk mentioned, “But it’s difficult for me to bring that up in an interview because then it creates a bone of contention,” indicating his reluctance to publicly challenge the administration’s decisions. Musk did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
