It's not just Elon Musk. Other Trump tech allies are turning on his 'big, beautiful bill.'
Ben Werschkul · Washington Correspondent Updated Wed, May 28, 2025 at 11:53 AM CDT 4 min read
Elon Musk has announced his opposition to a second major plank of Donald Trump's agenda (after previously turning on the president's tariff plans) when he said in a new interview he was "disappointed" by the price tag of Trump's "big, beautiful bill."
The bill "increases the budget deficit ... and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing," the world's richest man said in a CBS interview that is scheduled to air in full this weekend.
And Musk is not the only one in the world of tech who has questions.
The opposition to the bill has been in evidence among at least a few of Trump's Silicon Valley allies, largely due to a price tag that could see over $3 trillion in new red ink if the bill is passed, as well as lawmakers declining so far to formalize cuts proposed by Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
"This thing is an albatross," said Chamath Palihapitiya, a venture capitalist who co-hosted a fundraiser for Trump during his campaign, on a recent episode of the popular "All-In" podcast.
In the episode, three of the four co-hosts leveled critiques against the bill. Co-host Jason Calacanis called the bill a failure of leadership on Trump's part.
The fourth Big Tech figure was David Sacks, the most outspoken Trump ally of the set, who currently works as the White House AI and crypto czar. He defended pieces of the bill — notably tax cuts — and added, "You have to be realistic about how much we can get done here."
But the critiques by the three others were withering and quickly noted by other like-minded figures in the tech world — and also gleefully highlighted by some of the podcast's hosts — with charges of fiscal irresponsibility and even that the bill was a sort of "'deep state' Candy Land."
Others in Silicon Valley have offered their support for certain provisions — notably Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi's praise for the inclusion of gig workers in Trump's no tax on tips plans — but other leading voices have been wary or at least quiet on the plans since they passed.
And the next "All-In episode" came just a few days later and featured Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), an outspoken critic of the bill who is promising major changes.
TRUMP'S 'BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL' BY THE NUMBERS A bill advancing in Congress will change the tax and healthcare landscape for millions. It could also usher in trillions in new red ink over the next decade.
That is a good article. In the meanwhile, Trumpty is finally posting about that awful, awful ruling by the International Trade Court. He cannot believe what they did to him!! Especially that "sleazebag" (his quotation marks, not mine) Leonard Leo.
I somehow begin to feel maybe from now on he'll be mostly a losing loser. And with luck, that will make him mad, and so he'll try to do even crazier shit, and one or more of those things will be the last straw. We do know that now "TACO!" will be an effective rallying cry.
... and a guy who once painted his bald head to make it look like he had hair.
Anyone wondering who that is? I was, and so I went looking:
New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart join Amna Nawaz to discuss the week in politics, including Elon Musk's legacy as his time in the White House comes to an end, members of Congress facing more pushback from voters over the Trump agenda, the president's controversial pardons and Russia's attacks on Ukraine intensifying.
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