'Head back home to South Africa': Trump WARNS of DOGE action on Musk as Tesla boss widens campaign against 'big beautiful bill'

Amid tech giant Elon Musk's campaign against the ‘big beautiful bill’, United States President Donald Trump has said that he would have to return to South Africa if he didnt get EV subsidies. The US president also claimed that he was always against the EV mandate - the key clause that seems to be the reason for Tesla boss' opposition to the bill. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that the EV mandate was a part of his campaign and Musk knew this. He said that Elon Musk, who owns Tesla, gets “more subsidies than any human in history.” He also said that without subsidy, Musk would be forced to "close shop and head back home to South Africa." This is the first time Trump has spoken about Musk's South African origin. In the USA, electric vehicle (EV) buyers can receive a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 for new vehicles and up to $4,000 for used EVs.

A sweeping tax and spending bill recently passed by the House (now under marathon vote in the US Senate) includes a new $250 annual federal fee for electric vehicle (EV) owners, regardless of when they bought their car. The fee would be collected by the Federal Highway Administration and is intended to ensure EV drivers contribute to the Highway Trust Fund. That fund is traditionally supported by gas taxes paid by drivers of internal combustion vehicles. However, consumer advocates point out that the proposed $250 fee is actually more than three times what a typical new gas-powered car owner pays in federal gas taxes each year.

Earlier, Musk slammed the ‘Big Beautiful bill’ and said that if it is passed, a new political party will be formed in America. In a series of posts, Musk explained how the tax and spending bill will increase the national debt in America and claimed that both the political parties - Republicans and Democrats - have done anything to decrease the national debt. The country’s biggest Republican donor last elections also said that he would back primary challengers against nearly every single Republican in Congress. Last month, US President Trump and Musk had a public fallout over their disagreements on the bill. Last month, Trump and Musk had a public fallout over their disagreements on the bill.

He also said, “Anyone who campaigned on the PROMISE of REDUCING SPENDING , but continues to vote on the BIGGEST DEBT ceiling increase in HISTORY will see their face on this poster in the primary next year,” Musk said in another post. The billionaire also declared that every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for this bill would “lose their primary next year.”