Privately, Musk rubbed a number of senior officials the wrong way during his time in government, and his complaints about a key legislative goal may further agitate his critics in the administration.
Multiple sources close to the administration told The Hill that Musk frequently clashed with Cabinet secretaries and other senior officials who viewed him as overstepping his role leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The Tesla CEO — who spent millions of dollars to help Trump get elected and whose 130-day window as a special government employee ended last Friday — sparred with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Department Secretary Scott Bessent and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy at various points throughout his tenure.
He also publicly bickered with senior trade adviser Peter Navarro, calling him a “moron” after Navarro weighed in on Tesla’s assembly process for its electric vehicles.
The latest instance came over the weekend, when Trump withdrew the nomination of Musk ally Jared Isaacman to serve as NASA administrator.
Musk had pushed for Isaacman’s nomination, and the nominee had already advanced through the Senate Commerce Committee. But within hours of Musk’s departure from the government, Trump pulled the pick, citing “a thorough review of prior associations.”
But the break that threatens to irk Trump the most and could undermine his agenda is Musk’s frustrations with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed the House last month and must now clear the Senate.
Musk exited the administration after an Oval Office press event with Trump on Friday and has since ratcheted up his criticism of Trump’s bill.
By Wednesday afternoon, Musk was urging lawmakers to “kill the bill.”
A day earlier, he railed against the legislation in a post on the social platform X, which he owns, calling the megabill “an abomination” and “pork-filled” due to its effects on federal deficits.
The Hill’s Brett Samuels has more in a full report at TheHill.com.
