Multiple Republican lawmakers appeared split as the feud between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, one of the president’s biggest allies, escalated into an all-out social media war on Thursday.
At the heart of the breakup is their disagreement over Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which Musk has called a “disgusting abomination.” Trump has maintained that his plan is “one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress,” adding that Musk “should have” turned on him “months ago.”
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As the two billionaires continue to duke it out on X and Truth Social, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) argued that Trump’s intentions with the bill are “positive,” but stressed that the promises included in the bill must be delivered to voters. Cornyn added that he and other senators will improve on what the House delivered to the Senate, saying, “I’d love to see some more savings to address the nation’s debt.”
“President Trump made clear yesterday at the White House that he intends to make this a multiyear effort,” Cornyn explained on Fox News’s The Story with Martha MacCallum, guest-hosted by Gillian Turner. “And so this is the first step, but not the last step, and I think we all agree with that and are happy to know that is how the president plans this to be completed in the coming years and coming votes.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) expressed frustration with the bill, saying on Fox News’s The Will Cain Show that he “reluctantly” voted for it in the House and it could have been better than its current state. Roy contended that “Elon has points” regarding the bill and stressed that it needs to address deficit reduction and spending restraint better.
On X, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) shared footage of an interview Musk conducted, in which he said, “I just don’t want America to go bankrupt over its national debt.” Paul said Musk was “on point,” highlighting his 2024 Festivus Report, which revealed that taxpayers paid $892 billion in interest.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) said the “fallout was inevitable” between Musk and Trump, sharing footage of an interview in March in which he predicted something like this would happen.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) fired back at Musk after the billionaire reposted a 2023 post from Johnson in which he said the nation’s debt of over $30 trillion was “not sustainable.” Musk asked, “Where is the Mike Johnson of 2023?!” to which Johnson maintained that he is still “a lifelong fiscal hawk” who is attempting to pass “a multi-stage plan to get our country back to fiscal responsibility.”
“The same CONSISTENT Mike Johnson who has ALWAYS supported the America First Agenda,” Johnson said on X.
Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) told reporters he hopes Musk and Trump can repair their friendship, saying the nation will need Musk and his “10-pound brain” in the future.
Rep. Troy Nehls on Elon Musk: "I think for the future of this great country of ours, we're going to need his 10lb brain." pic.twitter.com/5QqShJ5nZD
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) June 5, 2025
Meanwhile, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO) sought unity, with Greene proposing an American Sovereign Wealth Fund to “stop the fighting and save America.” Boebert simply posted a GIF of Michael Scott, Steve Carell’s character in The Office, yelling, “Stop it!”
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On a lighter note, Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) said, “We can all agree – Go Pacers!”, referring to Indiana’s basketball team ahead of game one of the NBA Finals.
Amid Musk and Trump’s blowup, podcast host Lex Fridman proposed doing a podcast episode with the pair. Fridman was one of the many podcast hosts Trump sat down with ahead of the 2024 presidential election.