Elon Musk says he didn't always agree with everything the Trump administration did
Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images
- Elon Musk is leaving the Trump administration.
- The Tesla and SpaceX CEO said he doesn't always agree with everything the administration does.
- Musk recently criticized Trump's "big beautiful bill" and said it will raise the budget deficit.
Elon Musk said he had "differences of opinion" with the Trump administration during his time in government.
"It's not like I agree with everything the administration does," Musk said in a forthcoming interview with "CBS Sunday Morning," a clip of which was released on Thursday.
"I agree with much of what the administration does, but we have differences of opinion. There are things I don't entirely agree with," Musk added, though he did not elaborate on what those disagreements were.
On Wednesday, Musk said he was departing from the White House DOGE office. The announcement capped off Musk's 130-day tenure as a special government employee with the Trump administration.
Musk's interview with CBS took place a day before he made his announcement. The full interview is set to air on Sunday.
Musk also told the outlet that he is "a little stuck in a bind" when voicing his disagreements with the administration.
"But it's difficult for me to bring that up in an interview because then it creates a bone of contention," Musk said.
"So then, I'm a little stuck in a bind, where I'm like, well, I don't wanna, you know, speak up against the administration. But I also don't wanna take responsibility for everything the administration's doing," he continued.
Musk said in the same interview that he was "disappointed to see the massive spending bill" that House Republicans passed on May 22. GOP lawmakers hope that the bill, which is now with the Senate, will be sent to President Donald Trump's desk by July 4.
Musk said Trump's "big beautiful bill" will increase the budget deficit and "undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing."
"I think a bill can be big, or it could be beautiful. I don't know if it could be both," Musk told CBS in a clip released on Tuesday.
In November, Trump announced that Musk would co-lead DOGE with Vivek Ramaswamy. Trump said the cost-cutting outfit would conclude its work by July 4, 2026. Ramaswamy left DOGE in January, leaving Musk as its sole leader.
But Musk's work at DOGE sparked boycotts and protests against his EV company, Tesla. Musk also faced increased calls from investors to spend more time on Tesla instead of DOGE.
Last month, Musk said in a Tesla earnings call that he would scale down his involvement with DOGE to focus on Tesla.
"My rough plan on the White House is to be there for a couple days every few weeks. And to be helpful where I can be helpful," Musk said in an interview with CNBC on May 20.
Musk and the White House did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.