“It Can Be Big or Beautiful—Not Both”: Elon Musk Takes a Jab At Trump 

In a rare public rebuke, tech mogul and federal efficiency czar Elon Musk criticized U.S. President Donald Trump during a Tuesday interview on CBS, questioning both the content and branding of Trump’s latest economic plan.

The legislation officially named the “Big and Beautiful Act” offers sweeping tax benefits but would significantly increase the national debt, according to critics.

“Honestly, I was disappointed by the price tag,” Musk said. “It adds to the deficit it doesn’t shrink it.”

He went further, mocking the name of the bill:

The remark, seen by many as a direct jab at Trump’s showmanship and disregard for fiscal restraint, marks the first time Musk has publicly distanced himself from a core Trump policy. This, despite donating $250 million to Trump’s campaign and serving as a senior advisor on governmental streamlining efforts.

The bill, currently moving through the Republican-majority Senate, contradicts much of Musk’s own work at DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, where thousands of federal jobs have already been slashed in a high-profile attempt to reduce spending.

Just days ago, Musk announced he would significantly scale back his role in DOGE, devoting most of his time back to his business empire, particularly Tesla and SpaceX. While he plans to remain loosely involved “one or two days a week, if the president asks”, the decision comes amid growing public criticism of DOGE’s transparency and controversial cuts to core public services.

Compounding Musk’s rough news cycle was a partially failed launch of SpaceX’s Starship rocket on Tuesday, the third failed attempt in 2025 and ninth overall since April 2023. While the rocket cleared its launch from Texas and flew farther than its predecessors, it failed to meet critical mission benchmarks, disappointing investors and engineers alike.

Despite the turbulence, Musk remains a dominant voice in both tech and government and his veiled warning to Trump may signal deeper fractures between America’s most powerful billionaire and its most unconventional president.