US President Donald Trump has called Elon Musk a "wonderful guy" despite the Tesla, SpaceX & X chief’s escalating criticism of his administration’s flagship legislation—a sweeping spending package Musk says will devastate future-facing industries.In an interview with Fox News' Maria Bartiromo on Sunday, Trump was asked about his recent fallout with Musk. While acknowledging Musk's dissatisfaction with the bill, Trump defended their personal rapport."I think he's a wonderful guy. I haven't spoken to him much, but I think Elon is a wonderful guy, and I know he's going to do well always," Trump said. "He's a smart guy. And he actually went and campaigned with me and this and that. But he got a little bit upset, and that wasn't appropriate."When Bartiromo pressed him further on the reasons behind the rift, Trump pointed to Musk’s concerns over electric vehicle policy:"Look, the electric vehicle mandate, the EV mandate, is a tough thing for him. I would, you know, I don't want everybody to have to have an electric car."Musk slams 'big, beautiful' bill again on birthdayThe comments came a day after Musk, who turned 54 on Saturday, lashed out at the Senate’s revised draft of Trump’s spending bill in a post on X (formerly Twitter).“The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country! Utterly insane and destructive,” Musk wrote.— elonmusk (@elonmusk) The billionaire, who once led the popular cryptocurrency DOGE movement, has become an increasingly vocal critic of what he calls "pork-filled" government spending.Earlier this month, Musk described the initial version of the bill as a “massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill [that] is a disgusting abomination.”“Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong,” he added in a June 3 post. “You know it.”Despite Musk’s harsh language—and a since-deleted X post linking Trump to the late Jeffrey Epstein—Trump chose to downplay the fallout and strike a conciliatory tone. However, Senate Republicans are pressing forward, with Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham unveiling the latest draft Friday night. They hope to have it on the president's desk by July 4.In his latest criticism, Musk warned that the bill’s environmental cuts and targeted tax increases would "give handouts to industries of the past" while hobbling clean energy and tech innovation.
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