Trump threatens to turn DOGE into a force against former CEO Elon Musk
President Donald Trump publicly criticized Elon Musk, asking the DOGE agency to take a closer look at his companies.
On Truth Social , Trump questioned Musk's leadership and accused him of benefiting from the largest government subsidy in history, claiming that without the subsidy, Musk would have had to close the company and return to South Africa.
Trump criticized Elon Musk for receiving the most government subsidies in history and said that without the subsidies, Musk might have had to leave the US.
No formal action has been taken yet, and the White House and Musk representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
Trump's post marks a major rift with Elon Musk, who was a partner in the DOGE initiative launched in early 2025 to reform the federal system. DOGE is a joint project between Trump and Musk, inspired by the name Dogecoin .
In recent weeks, Elon Musk has increasingly distanced himself from the Trump administration, despite publicly apologizing.
He criticized Trump’s “ Great Bill ” — a plan to cut taxes, reform immigration and support cryptocurrencies — saying it could add $3.3 trillion to the national debt.
Musk stressed that the debt ceiling is the only tool to force the government to control spending and fight waste.