“Move Back to South Africa”: Trump Threatens to Unleash DOGE on Elon Musk

• The feud between United States president, Donald Trump and former DOGE chief, Elon Musk has been renewed over the "Big Beautiful Bill"
• This time, Trump threatened to send his former friend and adviser back to South Africa as the Tesla boss threatened to float a new political party if the Bill sees the light of day in the US Senate
• While Trump threatened a DOGE review, Musk threatened to support 'The America Party', contingent upon Republican lawmakers passing Trump's comprehensive domestic policy legislation

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Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

President of the United States, Donald Trump, has hit back at billionaire Elon Musk, warning that without subsidies from the American government, the Tesla CEO would "probably head back home to South Africa."

DOGE: Trump's deportation warning to Elon Musk

As reported by Times of India, Trump reignited his feud with Elon Musk and threatened to have the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) look into federal money received by the billionaire, who until May 2025, had spearheaded the very same department focused on slashing fraud and waste in U.S. government spending.

Trump took aim at Musk, the CEO of electric car maker Tesla and space tech firm SpaceX, after his former political ally sharply criticised the president's flagship One Big Beautiful Bill Act for its impact on the federal deficit.

In a post on Truth Social, on Monday night, June 30, Trump said:

"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."

"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. No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE."

The US president also suggested that DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, which Musk once led, should now investigate the extent of subsidies flowing to Musk’s companies. "Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!” Trump added.

Elon Musk threatens to float new party

This comes after Musk doubled down on his distaste for President Trump's "big, beautiful bill," calling it "political suicide for the Republican Party."

Musk also threatened to launch a new political party if the bill gets passed in the US Senate.

"If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day. Our country needs an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uniparty so that the people actually have a VOICE," he said in another post.

Read more about Trump, Elon Musk here:

• Elon Musk responds to substance abuse allegations with test results
• Donald Trump: US restarts student visa interviews with tougher social media rules
• Elon Musk steps down from Trump administration
• Trump bans 12 countries from coming to the US

Reactions as Elon Musk apologises to Trump

Legit.ng earlier reported that Elon Musk publicly admitted regret over critical comments made about Donald Trump in early June 2025, claiming his support helped Trump win the 2024 election.

The rift between the duo deepened after Musk’s criticism, with Trump confirming their relationship was over. Musk later expressed regret, acknowledging that some posts went "too far".

While some users praised Musk for his apology, others questioned the sincerity of his statements, particularly regarding claims about Trump’s involvement in the Epstein case.

Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.