US Congressional Republicans urged President Trump and Musk to cease their public feud on Friday (June 6th), warning that the conflict between them could potentially impact the progress of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” in Congress.
Elon Musk and Donald Trump have been engaging in a war of words on social media for two consecutive days, sparking widespread attention. The clash began about a week after Musk left the government, and their dispute has been escalating.
House Speaker Mike Johnson mentioned in an interview with CNN that he hopes President Trump and Musk can reconcile since he believes in the power of redemption and trusts that everything will eventually work out.
“We have been exchanging text messages, but as you know, I won’t disclose the details of our discussions,” Johnson said, referring to Musk as a “friend,” and stating, “I just want to facilitate a consensus between both parties.”
Other Republicans also wish for this dispute to come to an end.
Federal Congressman Dan Newhouse from Washington State told reporters on Friday, “I hope this won’t distract us and affect the work that needs to be completed.” He added, “I believe this conflict will escalate, but they will reconcile in the end.”
Senator Ted Cruz from Texas told Fox News on Thursday, “I hope that the two of them can patch things up because when they work together, they can accomplish much more for America than when they are at odds.”
On social media, Senator Mike Lee from Utah expressed his fondness for both of them and asked, “Who sincerely wishes for @elonmusk and @realDonaldTrump to reconcile?” Lee later wrote in a post, “If you agree that the friendship between Trump and Musk can make the world a better place, please reshare.”
However, some lawmakers optimistically stated that the bill will continue to progress according to the scheduled timeline without significant obstacles.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer told Politico magazine, “I don’t think the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ will face obstruction in the Senate, and I’m not concerned about Musk’s remarks.”
Emmer stated, “I haven’t been paying attention to Elon’s posts, although I’ve heard about them, but sorry, he’s not on my phone.” Emmer expressed his belief that the bill would result in the largest government spending cuts in U.S. history while preventing the largest tax increase.
“The Senate will do their job and send the bill back to us,” Emmer said. “We will pass the bill and send it to the President for signing, the time for negotiations has ended.”
On Friday, during a series of televised interviews, Trump expressed no interest in talking on the phone with Musk. In an interview with ABC News, he suggested that Musk had “lost his mind,” and later on Fox News, he said Musk seemed “completely nuts.”
Trump broke his silence on Thursday (June 5th) in response to Musk’s criticisms of the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
Trump expressed his disappointment in Musk, mentioning that they had a good relationship in the past but unsure if it could be maintained now.
However, Musk stated on X platform that Trump and the Republicans could win in the 2024 election because of their relationship, prompting Trump to imply that the government might cut funding to Musk’s companies. This led to continued tension between them.
The dispute initially began this week with Musk’s fierce criticism of the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” He described the bill as a “barf-inducing monstrosity” and cited estimates from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) suggesting that the bill could increase the U.S. deficit by trillions of dollars over a decade.
Nevertheless, both Trump and Johnson have publicly stated that they believe Musk opposes the bill primarily because it reduces federal subsidies for electric vehicles.