Tariffs double as Elon Musk slams President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”
(NBC)- As U.S. tariffs on aluminum and steel doubled overnight for most of the country’s trade partners, fresh dissent is emerging among President Donald Trump’s own allies — this time over his sweeping new spending proposal. Billionaire Elon Musk, who previously served as a temporary government advisor focused on budget efficiency, blasted the president’s self-proclaimed “Big Beautiful Bill” as a “disgusting abomination.” Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Musk argued that the plan would “massively increase the gigantic budget deficit.”
He’s not alone. Republican budget hawks, including Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, are also voicing alarm.
“I can’t, in good conscience, give up every principle that I stand for and every principle that I was elected upon,” Paul said. “And that’s that we can’t accumulate more debt.”
Independent analysts project that the bill — if passed in its current form — could add several trillion dollars to the national deficit. It includes extensions of Trump-era tax cuts, significant boosts in defense and border security funding, and cuts to programs like Medicaid and food aid. Despite mounting criticism, the White House remains firm.
“The president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill,” said Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. “It doesn’t change the President’s opinion. This is one big, beautiful bill and he’s sticking to it.”
The spending battle comes as President Trump’s latest move in the trade war takes effect. Tariffs on imported steel and aluminum have now doubled, jumping from 25% to 50%, in what the White House calls a national security priority. With China as a top competitor in the global metals industry, the administration says the president may speak directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the days ahead.
