Billionaire Elon Musk, who pledged to create the ‘America Party’ if Congress passed Trump’s seismic budget bill, has remained notably quiet on the legislation since it cleared both chambers, raising questions about whether he has the will to follow through with his dramatic promises.
Musk didn’t post on X for about eight hours as the budget bill worked through Congress, and only broke his silence after it passed to post about an update to his Starlink satellite internet—not about politics. This marks a departure from his fierce opposition leading up to the vote.
Two Republican lawmakers who spoke to the Daily Mail brushed aside Musk’s potential threats against GOP members who voted for the big beautiful bill.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus brushed off Musk’s threats when asked if he thought any members of his conference were worried about any potential retaliation from Musk for their vote.
‘No, Elon Musk is for the country. No retaliation’ Norman stated.
Asked again if he thought his fellow Republicans could get primaried with millions of dollars flowing from Musk, Norman added the following.
‘Elon Musk is a true patriot. He identified where our tax money went. For you, young people, you ought to be grateful that we had him.’
‘No one else had the bandwidth to do what he did,’ Norman noted, referring to Musk’s work as Trump’s former lead of the Department of Government Efficiency.
Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, speaks to reporters following his White House meeting as Republicans work to push President Donald Trump’s signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts across the finish line even as conservative and moderate GOP holdouts slow that effort, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, July 2, 2025
John McGuire, who now represents Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, speaks to supporters after his primary win in Lynchburg, Va., Tuesday, June 18, 2024
President Donald Trump gestures as he boards Air Force One, Thursday, July 3, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md.
Elon Musk looks on during a news conference with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 30, 2025. Musk, who stormed into US politics as President Trump’s chainsaw-brandishing sidekick, announced on May 28 that he is leaving his role in US government, intended to reduce federal spending, shortly after his first major break with the President over Trump’s signature spending bill
Musk directly called out a pair of House Republicans who are a part of the conservative ‘Freedom Caucus,’ for their votes to pass the preliminary House version of the bill back in May.
‘How can you call yourself the Freedom Caucus if you vote for a Debt Slavery bill with the biggest debt ceiling increase in history? @RepAndyHarrisMD @chiproytx,’ Musk wrote, addressing the two GOP lawmakers directly.
Another conservative Republican, Representative John McGuire (R-Va.) told the Daily Mail that he believes Musk is going to move on ‘bigger and greater things.’
‘I think yesterday, he said more nice things about President Trump,’ McGuire added, referring to a recent positive post Musk’s made on X, formerly Twitter.
‘Credit where credit is due. Donald Trump has successfully resolved several serious conflicts around the world,’ Musk wrote in a post made at around 1:30 AM Wednesday.
McGuire is not stranger to competitive GOP primaries in red seats, as he himself came to Congress after he primaried former Rep. Bob Good, a fellow Republican from the right last year.
At the time that Musk made his promises, it remained unclear how much sway Musk had over Congress or what effect his opinions might have had on the bill’s passage.
U.S. Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) speaks to the media after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping spending and tax bill, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 3, 2025
U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) speaks to reporters as Republican lawmakers struggle to pass U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping spending and tax bill, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 27, 2025
On Monday, he escalated his attacks, saying lawmakers who campaigned on cutting spending but supported the bill ‘should hang their heads in shame.’
‘And they will lose their primary next year if it’s the last thing I do on this Earth,’ Musk declared.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO also called for a new political party, arguing the bill’s massive spending showed ‘we live in a one-party country — the PORKY PIG PARTY!’
‘Time for a party that actually cares about the people,’ he wrote.
‘If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day,’ Musk pledged in a post on X Monday evening.
Musk, now worth over $400 billion, founded the AmericaPAC super PAC in 2024.
AmericaPAC raised more than $260 million last year, much of it to back Republicans in swing districts. Over $88 million went to supporting Trump directly.
The Senate version of Trump’s bill, which also passed the House on Wednesday, is estimated to add between $3.3 billion and $4.5 billion to the national debt.
‘The insane spending of this bill increases the debt ceiling by a record five trillion dollars,’ Musk posted.
While nearly all Republicans backed the budget, two conservative lawmakers from Kentucky — Rep. Thomas Massie and Senator Rand Paul — voted no.
Massie was already criticized by the Trump White House for opposing the bill, and Musk defended him even before the final vote.
It remains to be seen whether Musk’s support for Massie was an exception, or a sign he’s prepared to oppose Trump in future primaries.
