Rift Widens as Musk Condemns Trump’s Tax Plan: “Big or Beautiful, Not Both”

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s latest tax and spending bill, suggesting it undermines fiscal responsibility and disrupts vital cost-cutting reforms. Speaking in a CBS interview set to air in full this weekend, Musk mocked Trump’s branding of the legislation, saying, “A bill can be big, or it can be beautiful, but I don’t know if it can be both.”
At the heart of Musk’s concern is the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed narrowly in the House of Representatives. The bill extends tax cuts while slashing welfare programs and eliminating clean energy support. Musk’s comments reflect growing unease among fiscal hawks and green energy advocates alike.
The Tesla boss’s frustration may be personal as well as political. The bill scraps the $7,500 EV tax credit and adds a $250 annual fee on electric vehicles—policies that threaten Tesla’s recovery after a brutal first quarter. Once a major financial backer of Trump, Musk now seems to be distancing himself, potentially reshaping alliances in Washington.