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President-elect Donald Trump’s team has pushed back against claims that Elon Musk is wielding outsized influence within the Republican Party after the tech billionaire played a major role in derailing a key spending bill intended to avert a government shutdown.
Musk’s vocal opposition to the bipartisan spending proposal, spearheaded by House Speaker Mike Johnson, created a ripple effect on Capitol Hill.
Early Wednesday, Musk denounced the bill on his social media platform X, warning, “Stop the steal of your tax dollars!”
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Trump and Vance echo Musk, urge GOP to reject spending bill
Shortly afterwards, Trump and JD Vance issued a statement mimicking Musk’s criticisms of the bills. They called on Republicans to reject it, insisting that the country’s indebtedness is unsustainable and pointing out what they regard as a capitulation to Democrats.
On Thursday evening, the House rejected an alternative Trump-backed “streamlined” spending deal. The apparent alignment between Musk’s stance and Trump’s subsequent position has fueled speculation about who holds real sway over the GOP.
Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s incoming White House press secretary, sought to clarify the situation, told Business Insider, “As soon as President Trump released his official stance on the CR (continuing resolution), Republicans on Capitol Hill echoed his point of view.”
“President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop.”
Democrats seized the moment to highlight the perceived power struggle within the GOP
Senator Bernie Sanders mocked Musk’s influence, writing on X: “Democrats and Republicans spent months negotiating a bipartisan agreement to fund our government. The richest man on Earth, President Elon Musk, doesn’t like it.”
Former Obama adviser David Axelrod joined the fray, quipping: “So will President-elect Musk join the budget negotiations now?”
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Representative Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., added: “It’s clear who’s in charge, and it’s not President-elect Donald Trump.”
Representative Maxwell Alejandro Frost, D-Fla., remarked, “Shadow President Elon Musk spent all day railing against Republicans’ CR, succeeded in killing the bill, and then Trump decided to follow his lead.”
