President Donald Trump addressed criticisms from Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Thursday, suggesting that Musk’s discontent stems from the removal of electric vehicle (EV) tax credits in Trump’s proposed legislation, alongside Musk’s disappointment over the cancellation of his chosen NASA leadership pick.
This dialogue follows Musk’s vocal opposition to Trump’s tax proposal, which Trump refers to as his “One, Big, Beautiful Bill.” Musk characterized the bill as a “disgusting abomination” during a statement made on Tuesday, as it was under consideration in the Senate.
In a separate development last week, Musk resigned from his temporary role overseeing the DOGE initiative, a project aimed at reducing federal spending and employee numbers under the Trump administration.
Notably, Musk has been a significant financial supporter of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, contributing over $250 million to the effort.
During his Thursday remarks, Trump expressed a preference for Musk’s criticism, stating, “I’ve always liked Elon… I’d rather have him criticize me than the bill, because the bill is incredible.”
The president attributed Musk’s dissatisfaction to the removal of EV subsidies, indicating, “Elon is upset because we took the EV mandate, which was a lot of money for electric vehicles… They’re having a hard time, the electric vehicles, and they want us to pay billions of dollars in subsidy.”
Trump pointed out that Musk was aware of the tax credit eliminations well in advance, claiming, “He knew it… a long time ago.”
He concluded with a dismissive remark about the proposed legislation, noting, “In the entire history of civilization, there has never been legislation that both big and beautiful.”
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