Just days after stepping away from his informal advisory ties to Donald Trump’s 2024 re-election campaign, Elon Musk has publicly torched one of the former president’s most controversial legislative promises — and it’s igniting a fresh political firestorm.
In a post that instantly went viral on X, Musk slammed Trump’s newly unveiled immigration policy — dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill” — calling it “a theatrical mess of empty slogans and bureaucratic nonsense.” The Tesla and SpaceX CEO, who has increasingly positioned himself as a political disruptor, claimed the proposed legislation would “cripple tech innovation” and “violate fundamental civil liberties.”
Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ is neither big, nor beautiful. It’s a disaster dressed in slogans. I cannot support it. #MuskVsTrump— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 4, 2025
The bill, introduced by GOP lawmakers last week and reportedly backed by Trump’s team, proposes sweeping changes to asylum, border surveillance, and visa processing. Trump described it as the “final solution to the immigration disaster” during a closed-door donor event, according to The New York Times.
Sources close to Musk told Axios that his private frustrations with Trump’s pivot toward “ultra-nationalist rhetoric” had been building for weeks, culminating in his quiet withdrawal from backchannel advisory chats facilitated by Peter Thiel and Jared Kushner.
Though never formally listed as a policy adviser, Musk had been involved in economic and space policy discussions with Trump campaign insiders, including meetings at Mar-a-Lago in early May. That connection appeared to sour quickly.
This is the first time Musk has gone this hard against Trump since 2017 — and it’s clearly personal. #ElonSpeaksOut— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) June 4, 2025
Trump responded to the criticism in characteristic fashion, taking to Truth Social to mock Musk as “a confused billionaire who’s mad he didn’t get a seat at the big table.” In the post, Trump wrote, “Elon begged me for access — now he’s crying about laws he doesn’t understand.”
Musk quickly hit back on X:
Never begged you for anything. You asked me to join your ‘vision council.’ I declined when I saw what that vision really was. #MuskClapsBack— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 4, 2025
Political insiders are stunned by the sharpness of the feud, especially after months of speculation that Musk might eventually support Trump’s tech and economy platforms in 2024. According to Politico, this rupture marks a decisive end to any such alliance.
Critics of the immigration bill have been sounding alarms since its first leak, arguing that its expanded surveillance measures and indefinite detention clauses would devastate immigrant families and tech workers alike. The bill has already drawn comparisons to the failed 2018 proposal that collapsed under bipartisan backlash.
The ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ is a nightmare in a red tie. Musk is right — it’s cruel, dumb, and dangerous. #ImmigrationReform— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 4, 2025
Silicon Valley is largely backing Musk’s stance. CEOs from Palantir, Stripe, and Airbnb have all retweeted his post in support, warning that Trump’s bill could deter global talent and threaten startup migration.
I don’t always agree with Elon, but he’s right here. This bill is a step backward for the country. #TechUnites— Patrick Collison (@patrickc) June 4, 2025
Some of Musk’s critics argue that his sudden exit and attack might be more strategic than moral. “He’s reading the room,” said analyst Jamal Edwards on MSNBC. “He knows aligning with Trump isn’t good for international business or AI regulation talks right now.”
Still, the rupture has sparked major conversations about the role of billionaires in shaping public policy, particularly as Musk continues to be a central player in AI development, space privatization, and online free speech via X.
The White House, which has stayed largely silent on Musk-Trump relations until now, issued a statement through press secretary Angela Rhodes acknowledging the dust-up. “We do not comment on internal disputes among private citizens,” she said, “but we remain focused on bipartisan immigration reform rooted in dignity, not fear.”
Musk leaving Trump’s orbit feels like a turning point. The far-right billionaire bromance might finally be breaking. #MuskVsTrump— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) June 4, 2025
For now, Musk appears determined to distance himself from the MAGA movement — at least publicly. But with 2024’s election season heating up and AI policy hanging in the balance, his voice is still one of the most powerful — and unpredictable — in American politics.
