House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., expressed surprise at tech billionaire Elon Musk’s sharp criticism of the “big, beautiful bill,” revealing that the two had a friendly exchange about the legislation just days earlier. Johnson shared with reporters that he and Musk, whom he calls a “friend,” had a “great conversation” on Monday, where they discussed the bill’s merits. During the talk, Musk playfully questioned whether the bill could truly be “big and beautiful,” to which Johnson responded, “Oh, yes it can, my friend. It’s very beautiful.”
Musk’s Public Rebuke
Despite the positive tone of their discussion, Musk’s stance shifted dramatically by Tuesday, when he publicly slammed the bill as a “disgusting abomination” on social media. “This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it,” Musk tweeted, amplifying concerns raised by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who urged the Senate to refine the bill to curb excessive government spending.
I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore.
This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination.
Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 3, 2025
Defending the Bill’s Purpose
Johnson, speaking to reporters, stood firm in his support for the legislation, saying, “I think he’s flat wrong. I think he’s way off on this, and I’ve told him as much.” He emphasized the bill’s importance in funding key priorities for the incoming Trump administration, particularly its focus on addressing illegal immigration.
At a Wednesday press briefing, Johnson, alongside House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., pointed to a recent antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colorado, allegedly perpetrated by an Egyptian national, Mohamed Soliman, as evidence of the urgent need for the bill’s provisions.
“We need to go find the other Solimans and get them out of America,” Johnson said, referencing the suspect accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at a group advocating for the release of hostages held in Gaza.
Tackling a Long-Standing Debt Crisis
The speaker acknowledged the nation’s towering $36.2 trillion debt, noting that it took Congress “decades” to reach this point and would require more than a single bill to address the crisis.
“The Trump administration needs four years to do all this reform, not two years. The Biden administration, Biden-Harris, made such a disaster of every metric of public policy, it’s going to take us more than one bill to fix it all,” Johnson stated.
Praise for Musk’s Efficiency Efforts
Despite the public disagreement, Johnson praised Musk as “obviously brilliant” and touted his contributions to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), aimed at slashing government waste. He also noted that their Monday conversation ended on a high note, with the two exchanging “happy texts.”
The sudden shift in Musk’s position caught Johnson off guard, but he remained optimistic about the bill’s future as it heads to the Senate, where Republicans face a July 4 deadline set by President Donald Trump to finalize the legislation.
With the House having passed the bill, all eyes are now on the Senate to deliver on the administration’s priorities while addressing concerns about fiscal responsibility raised by Musk and others.
The Fairview Gazette will keep you updated on any new developments regarding this piece of legislation.
