Elon Musk responds to Trump’s ‘Back Home to South Africa’ comments

Elon Musk has called President Donald Trump’s comments about him “so disappointing.”

The Musk-Trump feud reignited over the president’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed the Senate on Tuesday. The billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, who sees the legislation as an unacceptable multitrillion-dollar expansion of the federal debt, has touted forming a new “America Party.”

In a post on Truth Social, Trump took aim at Musk for the subsidies his companies have received, particularly for electric vehicles. The president said that without them, “Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa.”

When asked by a reporter whether he would consider deporting Musk, who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2002, Trump said: “I don’t know. We’ll have to take a look.”

Why It Matters

Musk was one of the most prominent supporters of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, spending at least $250 million to support his bid. However, he has been deeply critical of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” a major tax and spending package that passed the Senate with Vice President JD Vance’s tiebreaking vote. It now heads back to the House.

The package would raise the U.S. debt ceiling by $5 trillion, impose large tax cuts and increase spending on border security and defense. According to the Congressional Budget Office, it would add $3.3 trillion to U.S. fiscal deficits over the next decade. The bill also reduces health insurance and food subsidies for some lower-income households.

Musk described the bill as “political suicide” and “utterly insane and destructive,” adding on X, “It gives handouts to industries of the past, while severely damaging industries of the future.”

What To Know

On Truth Social on Monday, Trump criticized Musk over the subsidies his companies have received and suggested that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Musk previously ran, could investigate this.

“Elon Musk knew, long before he so strongly endorsed me for President, that I was strongly against the EV Mandate. It is ridiculous, and was always a major part of my campaign. Electric cars are fine, but not everyone should be forced to own one,” Trump wrote.

He continued: “Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa. No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE. Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!”