Trump ‘to look’ at deporting Musk after rift re-emerges

Threat comes as his One Big Beautiful Bill Act passes hurdle

- ANDREW FEINBERG IN WASHINGTON DC

Donald Trump said he would “take a look” at deporting Elon Musk after his former ally renewed criticism of the tax and spending megabill on which the US president has bet his legislative agenda.

As he departed the White House yesterday to visit an immigration detention facility in Florida, the president was asked if the Tesla billionaire - a naturalised American citizen originally from South Africa - could be forced out in retaliation for his attacks on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Republicans in the Senate narrowly passed yesterday.

“I don’t know,” he replied. “We’ll have to take a look.”

Mr Trump also hinted he might turn the quasi-agency once run by Mr Musk, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), on his former friend. “We might have to put Doge on Elon,” he said. “You know what Doge is? Doge is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon.”