‘Helped Elon a lot, now...’: Trump claims Musk knew his tax bill; Tesla CEO fires back ‘false, never shown to me’

Once hailed as Donald Trump’s "First Buddy," Tesla CEO Elon Musk is now at odds with the former president over a sweeping tax and spending bill. On June 5, Trump voiced his disappointment with Musk’s criticism of what he called the "Big beautiful Bill," claiming the tech mogul knew its contents and had no objections — until recently. “I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

Trump alleged that Musk had full knowledge of the bill's details: “He knew the inner workings of the bill better than anybody sitting here. He had no problem with it. All of a sudden he had a problem & he only developed the problem when he found out we're going to cut EV mandate.”

Musk promptly refuted the claim. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, he wrote, “False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!”

The legislation, a central piece of Trump’s second-term agenda, combines trillions in tax cuts with expanded military and border funding, while imposing stricter Medicaid work requirements. It shifts spending away from federal health, energy, and nutrition programs in favor of national security initiatives.

Musk, who left his post at Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on May 31, has grown increasingly critical of the bill. “Shame on those who voted for it,” he posted, branding the bill a “disgusting abomination” and warning it would worsen the US budget deficit and impose “crushing” debt on Americans.

Responding to Elon Musk’s sharp criticism, Donald Trump said, “Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore. I was surprised."

He has since urged citizens to pressure lawmakers to block the bill: “Kill the bill,” Musk wrote earlier this week in a pointed message to Congress.

Despite the split, Trump maintained that Musk would continue to have influence. “He will always be with us, helping all the way,” the president said.