The White House defends Elon Musk’s right to speak for his companies

The White House said Thursday that Elon Musk is entitled to speak on behalf of his companies against the backdrop of his feud with President Donald Trump. The comment came just days after Musk exited his role leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and began lobbying policymakers against the administration’s signature budget and tax bill.

During an appearance on Fox News Channel’s Hannity, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about the Trump and Musk “divorce.” She said the president is now focused on passing the so-called “one big, beautiful bill.”

“Just days ago, the president graciously hosted Elon Musk in the Oval Office, and Elon thanked the president for his leadership in cutting waste, fraud, and abuse,” Leavitt said. “The only difference between Friday and today is that Elon went back to his companies. And, as a businessman, he has a right to speak for his companies. But as president, President Trump has a responsibility to fight for this country.”

EV tax credits and the ‘big, beautiful bill’

Last week, the two appeared together at a White House press conference where Musk was presented with a ceremonial key to the White House. But by Thursday, the two were trading personal insults, with Musk claiming Trump would not have won the 2024 election without his help. 

In another post, the Tesla CEO told his followers the administration was holding onto documents related to financier Jeffrey Epstein because “Trump was on the list.”

In response, Trump lashed out, accusing Musk of turning against the administration out of self-interest. 

“I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

One provision in the “big, beautiful bill” removes the $7,500 tax credit for buyers of electric vehicles, which Musk is vehemently against.

“Keep the EV/solar incentives cuts in the bill, also cut all the crazy spending increases in the Big Ugly Bill so that America doesn’t go bankrupt!” the billionaire surmised.

Musk initially supported removing all subsidies, including those that benefited his own companies. “Take away the subsidies. It will only help Tesla,” he wrote on X last year.

Yet, Tesla has been reporting declining sales and investor pressure. Analysts at JPMorgan now estimate that losing the EV tax credit could cost Tesla $1.2 billion annually. 

NASA nomination pullback causes more problems

Last weekend, the White House withdrew the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA. Isaacman, a tech entrepreneur and collaborator with Musk’s SpaceX, had commanded two private space flights aboard SpaceX missions and invested $27.5 million in the company through his firm Shift4.

“After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “I will soon announce a new Nominee who will be Mission aligned, and put America First in Space.”

During the back-and-forth social media statement yesterday, Musk argued Trump’s removal of Jared was based on politics, reposting a previous message from Trump in December congratulating the “accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut.” 

This is what he said about Jared https://t.co/3R6qzdVRf1

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025

Conservative accounts on social media accused Musk of retaliating over lost perks and political influence. 

“So now you’re admitting it’s not actually what’s in the bill that has made you mad, but the absence of the perks… like getting your friend a good job and not putting your EV company at a disadvantage,” one GOP-aligned user responded to the troubled Tesla CEO.

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