Musk vs. "Beautiful Ugliness": How Elon Fell Out with Trump over the "Disgraceful" Budget

Another loud billionaire spat has erupted in American politics: Elon Musk, the man who dreams of sending everyone to Mars—and perhaps the U.S. budget along with them—has suddenly turned against Donald Trump. It’s true what they say: the more money, the thinner the friendship.

Trump’s flagship financial bill, proudly dubbed the “big beautiful bill,” received a horror-worthy label from Musk: a “disgusting abomination.” It seems the former presidential advisor gave the bill a solid F—minus. And when trillions of dollars are at stake, there are plenty of minuses: by some estimates, the U.S. deficit could grow to $2.5 trillion (!!!), which sounds more like a budget for an interstellar war than for fixing Ohio’s roads.

Musk didn’t stop at words: he promised to “fire” at the polls every politician who voted for this “pig trough.” Yes, in the U.S., “pork” isn’t just breakfast bacon, but any spending for lawmakers’ favorite districts. Apparently, Elon is now ready to invest not only in space, but also in political takedowns.

Republicans decided not to change course: Majority Leader John Thune promised to “move forward at full speed,” despite protests from those who prefer counting dollars to counting stars. House Speaker Mike Johnson even admitted he spoke with Musk for a whole 20 minutes, but for some reason, the billionaire was not impressed. Maybe NPR and PBS funding cuts aren’t as inspiring as launching Starlink?

By the way, one of Musk’s personal grievances was that the Federal Aviation Administration refused to switch air traffic controllers to Starlink: neither the budget was saved, nor was the dream of airborne space realized. In the end, even Democrats found a temporary ally in Musk: “If even he didn’t like this bill, things must be bad,” they declared in the Senate in unison.

Now Republicans need to pass the bill by July 4, so that on Independence Day they can celebrate not only freedom, but also new debts. But as experience shows—where politics begins, even the stars stop shining equally bright.