Trump names "DOGE" to investigate Tesla subsidies, Musk responds firmly: cut them all!

The public dispute between U.S. President Donald Trump and Tesla (TSLA.US) CEO Elon Musk has escalated again, this time focusing on government subsidies and fiscal spending.

According to Zhitong Finance APP, Trump hinted in a social media post that Musk, who co-founded the agency DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) aimed at cutting government spending, should "take a good look" at the huge subsidies received by Musk's companies. He wrote: "Elon may have received the most subsidies in human history, far ahead. Maybe we should let DOGE take a good look? It could save a lot of money!!!"

In response, Musk quickly replied on social platform X: "I literally mean to cut all subsidies. Cut them now."

The conflict between the two stems from the fiscal spending bill promoted by Trump. Musk has publicly criticized the bill multiple times, believing it contradicts his principle of reducing government spending. Musk was once in charge of DOGE, dedicated to government efficiency reform, until he angrily left the White House due to dissatisfaction with the bill.

Trump countered that Musk opposes the bill because it includes the cancellation of electric vehicle subsidies, which would directly impact Tesla (TSLA.US). He told reporters on Tuesday: "He is very unhappy about losing the electric vehicle subsidies, he is very unhappy. He may lose even more than that, I can tell you." He also vividly remarked: "DOGE is that monster that might have to 'turn back' and 'eat' Elon, he has taken too many subsidies."

Currently, the U.S. Congress is voting on the spending bill proposed by Trump. Although the Republican Party holds a majority in both the House and Senate, some Republican lawmakers have chosen to stand with Democrats in opposing the bill. The bill advocates increasing spending on border security, defense, and energy, while partially offsetting costs by cutting social welfare programs such as healthcare and food assistance. However, if this legislation passes, it is expected to increase the U.S. fiscal deficit by about $3.3 trillion (approximately £2.4 trillion).

During the voting period, Musk expressed his dissatisfaction with several social media posts. He posted a chart showing the continuous rise of U.S. national debt, sarcastically writing: "When will they 'flatten this curve'?" In another post, he harshly criticized those lawmakers who promised to cut government spending during their campaigns but supported record debt growth in Congress: "They should be ashamed to look down!"

The tech giant even threatened to ensure these lawmakers lose in the primaries next year. He also hinted at possibly founding a new political party to challenge the two traditional powers, the Democratic and Republican parties. Notably, Musk spent hundreds of millions of dollars supporting Trump's re-election campaign last year.

In response to Trump's comments about electric vehicle incentive policies, Musk posted a clip from an old interview in which he stated that if electric vehicle subsidies were canceled, Tesla's competitive advantage would "significantly increase."