Snub of Musk's NASA nominee ally preceded sudden 'big, beautiful bill' criticism, Trump feud

A time aft the White House held a farewell property league for SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk to item his efforts arsenic outgoing person of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), President Donald Trump abruptly pulled Musk state Jared Isaacman arsenic his prime for NASA administrator.

While the White House released a May 30 video chronicling Musk’s contributions to DOGE and respective X posts thanking him and listing assorted "DOGE wins," the gestures were immoderate of the last, last nationalist actions of goodwill betwixt Trump and Musk. 

On Saturday, Trump announced successful a societal media station helium was pulling the information for Isaacman, a commercialized astronaut and laminitis and CEO of outgo processing institution Shift4 Payments aft "a thorough reappraisal of anterior associations." 

Trump besides said helium would unveil a "new Nominee who volition beryllium Mission aligned, and enactment America First successful Space." 

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Jared Isaacman, the nominee for NASA administrator, was booted by the White House Saturday. (Tom Brenner for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Isaacman’s affiliations with Musk see being an capitalist successful SpaceX, successful summation to starring 2 backstage spaceflight missions with SpaceX, including Inspiration4. The 2021 Inspiration4 ngo was the archetypal clip an all-civilian unit orbited Earth. 

Isaacman addressed his pulled information successful an occurrence of the "All-In Podcast," which is hosted by 4 task capitalists and covers business, exertion and society, that dropped Wednesday. Specifically, Isaacman said helium received a telephone from the White House May 30 notifying him his information wouldn’t beforehand due to the fact that the White House had "decided to spell successful a antithetic direction." 

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Isaacman said helium suspected his ties to Musk were portion of the decision, noting the telephone came the aforesaid time Musk’s tenure with DOGE concluded. 

"I don’t request to play dumb connected this," Isaacman said successful the podcast. "I don’t deliberation that the timing was overmuch of a coincidence, that determination were different changes going connected the aforesaid day.

"There were immoderate radical that had immoderate axes to grind, I guess, and I was a good, disposable target." 

Tensions betwixt Musk and Trump continued to escalate aft Musk’s departure arsenic a peculiar authorities worker May 30 and Isaacman’s withdrawn information the pursuing day. 

President Donald Trump bought a Tesla from Musk astatine the White House arsenic a amusement of enactment earlier successful 2025 erstwhile the electrical conveyance shaper faced user backlash implicit Musk's governmental activism.  (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Although Musk antecedently told CBS News successful an interrogation clip released May 27 that helium was disappointed by the House’s transition of Trump’s monolithic taxation and spending package, the "big, beauteous bill," due to the fact that it would summation the national deficit, Musk’s attacks connected the measurement ramped up exponentially aft Trump rescinded Isaacman’s nomination. 

Specifically, connected Tuesday, Musk labeled the measurement a "disgusting abomination" and followed up by urging the American nationalist to interaction lawmakers to "KILL the BILL" successful an X station Wednesday.

White House property caput Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday that Trump was alert of Musk’s presumption connected the measure and that it didn’t alteration the president’s stance connected the measure. And Trump did not mince words Thursday arsenic tensions betwixt the 2 men reached a boiling point. 

Trump said Musk was irritated with provisions successful the measure that would chopped an electrical conveyance taxation recognition that benefits companies similar Tesla. He besides suggested Musk whitethorn endure from "Trump derangement syndrome," a word utilized to picture profoundly antagonistic reactions to the president. 

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"I'm precise disappointed due to the fact that Elon knew the interior workings of this measure amended than astir anybody sitting here, amended than you people," Trump said successful the Oval Office during a gathering with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. 

"He knew everything astir it. He had nary occupation with it. All of a sudden, helium had a problem, and helium lone developed the occupation erstwhile helium recovered retired that we're going to person to chopped the EV mandate due to the fact that that's billions and billions of dollars, and it truly is unfair."

Trump besides specifically mentioned Isaacman’s nomination, claiming Musk recommended Isaacman for the role. But Trump voiced interest astir Isaacman’s ties to the Democratic Party. 

"He wanted and rightfully, you know, helium recommended idiosyncratic that he, I guess, knew precise well. I'm definite helium respected him, but to tally NASA," Trump told reporters Thursday. "And I didn't deliberation it was appropriate. And helium happened to beryllium a Democrat, like, wholly Democrat. And I say, you know, look, we won. We get definite privileges. And 1 of the privileges is we don't person to name a Democrat. NASA is precise important."

Elon Musk receives a aureate cardinal from President Donald Trump successful the Oval Office astatine the White House successful Washington, May 30, 2025.  (Reuters/Nathan Howard)

Trump past said helium "understood" wherefore Musk was upset implicit the pulled nomination.

The White House directed Fox News Digital to Trump's comments Thursday and Isaacman's erstwhile donations to Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York. 

Isaacman told the "All-In Podcast" helium doesn’t deliberation his past governmental donations to Democrats were a origin successful his pulled nomination, and that helium identifies arsenic "right-leaning." 

Isaacman and Musk did not instantly respond to a petition for remark from Fox News Digital. 

Trump and Musk continued to commercialized barbs Thursday. At 1 point, Musk urged the removal of the "disgusting pork" included successful Trump’s taxation and spending bill. He besides said it was "false" that helium was shown the measurement "even once." 

Musk adjacent went truthful acold arsenic to accidental Trump wouldn’t person won the 2024 predetermination if it weren’t for Musk's backing. Meanwhile, Trump accused Musk of going "CRAZY" implicit cuts to the EV credits and said Musk was "wearing thin." 

President Donald Trump is joined by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, and his son, X Musk, during an enforcement bid signing successful the Oval Office astatine the White House Feb. 11, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Although Politico reported that Trump and Musk were slated to talk Friday implicit the phone, Trump unopen down speculation of a telephone betwixt the two. 

"No. I won’t beryllium speaking to him for a portion I guess, but I privation him well," Trump said, according to CNN. 

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 "I’m not adjacent reasoning astir Elon. He’s got a problem. The mediocre guy’s got a problem," Trump said.

Despite Musk’s departure, White House officials person said DOGE’s efforts to code waste, fraud and maltreatment volition continue, and Trump and furniture members volition oversee DOGE. The bureau is expected to formally unopen down July 4, 2026.