Elon Musk this week criticized President Donald Trump’s megabill and said the department he helped lead was unfairly blamed, as the back-to-back media appearances signal a widening chasm between the tech billionaire and the administration.
Musk has scaled back his work leading the government-slashing Department of Government Efficiency over the past month, following massive profit losses for his electric car company Tesla. Musk, the richest man in the world and a Republican donor who helped bankroll Trump’s 2024 campaign, has became a polarizing figure in Trump’s White House.
After ascending at breakneck speed to become Trump’s right-hand-man during the administration’s first 100 days, Musk’s presence in D.C. is waning. He says he intends to substantially cut back his political spending in future elections to shift his attention back to his business empire. His comments this week mark the latest fracture in what has been a whirlwind political partnership between the billionaire and Republican president.
In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning released May 27, Musk criticized Trump’s massive tax and spending bill, saying he was “disappointed” to see it, which he said “increases the budget deficit” and “undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing.”
Elon Musk: ‘Disappointed’ by the cost of Trump’s tax bill, says it undermines DOGE work
“DOGE is just becoming the whipping boy for everything,” Musk said in a separate interview with the Washington Post published the same day. “So, like, something bad would happen anywhere, and we would get blamed for it even if we had nothing to do with it.”
Here’s a brief timeline of key stages in the pair’s relationship and Musk’s involvement in Trump’s orbit over the past year.
Photos: The transformation of Elon Musk from tech pioneer to Trump insider
Donald Trump and Elon Musk: Timeline of pair’s relationship
July 13, 2024: The same day Trump was shot in an attempted assassination at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Musk officially endorses him for president. The billionaire’s donations to Trump’s reelection effort end up topping more than a quarter of a billion dollars.
Sept. 3, 2024: Then-candidate Trump says he would establish a government efficiency commission headed by Musk if he wins the Nov. 5 election.
October 5, 2024: Musk joins Trump onstage at a rally at the site of his assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.
Nov. 5, 2024: Musk spends election night at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago as the Republican wins the 2024 presidential election over Kamala Harris.
Nov. 12, 2024: Trump announces Musk and Republican presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy will lead the new “Department of Government Efficiency”, also known as “DOGE” with the mandate to slash federal government spending, waste and regulations.
Jan. 20, 2025: Musk attends Trump’s inauguration in Washington, D.C., and delivers a speech at one of the events. He attracted controversy after delivering a one-armed salute that some said appeared to resemble a Nazi-style gesture. “It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured,” Musk said before making the gesture.
Feb. 11, 2025: Musk visits the Oval Office with his young son, X, to mark Trump signing an executive order seeking to significantly reduce the size of the government through “large-scale reductions” in the federal workforce.
Feb. 20, 2025: Musk makes an appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) wielding a blinged out chainsaw gifted by Argentina’s president, using it as a prop to symbolize his role leading DOGE and “slashing” government spending,
March 4, 2025: Trump gives Musk a shout-out during his joint address to Congress, applauding his work at DOGE. “He’s working very hard,” the president said during his speech.
April 30, 2025: Trump’s Cabinet secretaries give Musk a round of applause as the Tesla CEO attended what might have been his final Cabinet meeting, as he takes a backseat from DOGE.
May 1, 2025: In his most extensive remarks to a room of reporters since he launched DOGE, Musk discusses stepping back from the agency. The White House classifies him as a “special government employee,” with the title of senior adviser to the president and allowing him to stay on the job for 130 calendar days a year.
May 27, 2025: Musk criticizes the centerpiece of Trump’s legislative agenda, saying he is “disappointed” in the president’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” in a CBS News interview, and that DOGE has become the “whipping boy for everything” in an interview with the Washington Post published May 27.
Contributing: Joey Garrison, USA TODAY.
Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Elon Musk and Donald Trump: Timeline of key moments in partnership
