WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump said he would look at having Elon Musk deported to his native South Africa as their rift reignited and reached new heights amid the billionaire tech entrepreneur’s new wave of criticism over Trump’s tax and budget bill.

Trump made the threat while speaking to reporters on July 1, hours after the president in an early morning post on Truth Social said he might order the Department of Government Efficiency that Musk previously led to review the billions in contracts that his companies receive.

“We’ll have to take a look,” Trump said when asked whether he will deport Musk. “We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn’t that be terrible? He gets a lot of subsidies.”

Trump’s attacks came after Musk, the world’s richest man, resumed his criticism of Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful bill” in a flurry of X posts on Monday. It included a warning from Musk that he would boost midterm primary challenges to defeat Republican lawmakers who vote for the legislation.

“Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa,” Trump wrote in a 12:34 a.m. July 1 post on Truth Social. “No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE. “Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!”

Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has pointed to the bill’s projections to raise the national debt by $3.3 trillion over the next decade as the reason for his hostility. But Trump has claimed Musk only opposes the bill because the legislation would end a program under former President Joe Biden that offers consumer tax credit for buyers of electric vehicles.

On his first day in office, Trump took executive action to end the so-called “electric vehicle mandate,” Trump’s phrase for a Environmental Protection Agency rule that required auto manufacturers to cut greenhouse gas emissions by half in new light- and medium-duty vehicles beginning in 2027.

“Elon Musk knew, long before he so strongly Endorsed me for President, that I was strongly against the EV Mandate. It is ridiculous, and was always a major part of my campaign. Electric cars are fine, but not everyone should be forced to own one,” Trump wrote in his social media post.

“Elon is very upset that the EV mandate is going to be terminated,” Trump later told reporters.

The new war of words between Trump and Musk came after the tech mogul had taken steps to repair his strained relationship with the president ‒ including personally apologizing for insults he made during his combative exit from the Trump administration in June. For the first four-plus months of Trump’s second term, Musk led the government-slashing DOGE, which worked to dramatically cut the size of the federal government by identifying “waste, fraud and abuse.” Musk left his White House position in late May.

In another June 30 X post, Musk renewed a call he’s floated for a new political party. “It is obvious with the insane spending of this bill, which increases the debt ceiling by a record FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS that we live in a one-party country – the PORKY PIG PARTY!!” Musk said. “Time for a new political party that actually cares about the people.”

Trump previously threatened to end subsidies that go to Musk’s companies on June 5 when his alliance with Musk imploded publicly in spectacular fashion.

Musk’s various companies have benefited from billions of dollars in U.S. government contracts over the past two decades, including SpaceX through its relationships with the Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

In all, Musk and his businesses have received at least $38 billion in government contracts, loans, subsidies and tax credits, often at critical moments, a Washington Post analysis found.