President-elect Donald Trump delivered a likely death blow to bipartisan congressional budget negotiations, rejecting the measure as full of giveaways to Democrats after billionaire ally Elon Musk whipped up outrage toward the bill and cheered on Republican lawmakers who announced their opposition.
Trump’s joint statement Wednesday with Vice President-elect JD Vance stopped the bill in its tracks and punctuated a torrent of social media posts by Musk attacking the legislation for what he described as excessive spending.
“Stop the steal of your tax dollars!” Musk wrote on his social media platform X as he dangled primary challenges against anyone who voted for the budget deal, a threat Trump later echoed in a post of his own.
The episode showcased the growing political influence of Musk, a huge campaign donor and promoter of Trump-friendly messaging on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter that he bought in 2022. Trump has selected Musk alongside entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to spearhead the Department of Government Efficiency, a …