U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk with possible deportation, escalating a growing rift between the two after Musk intensified his criticism of Trump’s sweeping tax cuts and multi-trillion-dollar spending package.
The tension flared after Musk denounced Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” a proposed $4 trillion economic plan the administration aims to pass by July 4. In response, Trump hinted at targeting Musk’s government funding and even questioned his citizenship status.
When asked by reporters if he was considering deporting Musk, Trump replied, “I don’t know. We’ll have to take a look.”
Trump also floated the idea of assigning the Department of Government Efficiency—nicknamed “DOGE”—to audit federal subsidies received by Musk’s companies, including Tesla and SpaceX.
“We might have to put DOGE on Elon,” Trump said during a White House press briefing. “He gets a lot of subsidies. But Elon’s upset we’re ending the EV mandate. Not everyone wants to drive an electric car. DOGE might have to go back and eat Elon.”
In response, Musk posted on social media: “So tempting to escalate this. So, so tempting. But I will refrain for now.”
Former Allies Turned Rivals
The clash marks a sharp reversal in the Trump-Musk relationship. Musk had previously backed Trump’s 2024 re-election campaign and contributed to Republican fundraising efforts. However, recent disagreements over government spending and tax reforms have driven a wedge between the two.
Musk has been a vocal critic of the proposed spending package, warning it would dangerously inflate the national debt. He’s also threatened to support challengers in Congress who oppose the bill, which would significantly scale back subsidies benefiting clean energy companies—including his own.
Trump has attributed Musk’s criticism to the possible loss of those subsidies. He took to Truth Social to lash out, writing:
“Elon may get more subsidies than any human being in history. Without them, he’d probably have to shut everything down and head back to South Africa. No more rockets, no more EVs—and we’d save a FORTUNE. Maybe DOGE should take a good, hard look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!”
Musk, in turn, has labeled the bill “insane” and hinted at backing a third political party.
Can Trump Actually Deport Musk?
Despite Trump’s threats, deporting Elon Musk is legally implausible. Musk became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2002 after immigrating in 1992. Born in South Africa to a Canadian mother, Musk gained citizenship lawfully and would be protected unless evidence emerged that he obtained it fraudulently.
While the U.S. government does have a legal process for stripping naturalized citizens of their citizenship—called denaturalization—it requires substantial proof of fraud or misrepresentation during the naturalization process.
Legal experts say Trump has no direct authority to revoke someone’s citizenship or deport them without due process.
For now, the feud between the President and one of the world’s most influential entrepreneurs appears to be heating up—with political, economic, and legal implications still unfolding.
