House Republican Slams ‘Insincere’ Speaker Johnson for Trying to ‘Insinuate’ Elon Musk Only Cares About His Businesses

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) tore into Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) this week over the Republican leader’s comments on Elon Musk’s vicious takedown of the Trump-backed “Big Beautiful” budget bill. Massie has vehemently opposed the tax and spending bill for weeks, raising the ire of both Johnson and President Donald Trump.

“It’s insincere for @SpeakerJohnson to insinuate @elonmusk is against the Big Beautiful Bill because it doesn’t benefit his companies specifically,” Massie wrote on X Wednesday evening.

Massie appeared to be referring to comments Johnson made earlier in the day at a presser on Capitol Hill when he was asked if Musk lobbied him to save electric vehicle tax incentives as part of the bill. Tesla, Musk’s main business enterprise, has long required government subsidies and tax incentives to boost its market share in the car industry.

Johnson dodged the question, saying he’d let people come to their own conclusion while adding that the tax incentives are “important to the leader of Tesla.” Johnson also told reporters that Musk has not been answering his calls, but expects to talk to him at some point on Thursday to try and de-escalate the ongoing GOP civil war over the bill.

Massie continued his defense of the world’s richest man, writing, “Musk is a true America First entrepreneur who could have had a much more comfortable existence and a higher net worth by sitting on the sidelines of politics. But he cares about this country, so he got involved. He knows if America collapses financially, we aren’t making it to Mars. He’s right.” He concluded:

When he helped cut government waste he watched his dealerships get firebombed, he stood for free speech by sponsoring a social media platform and in return the Biden administration brought half a dozen bogus cases against him, he provided the rural broadband that politicians continually failed to provide with endless taxpayer boondoggles, he revolutionized automobiles after conventional car manufacturers got bailed out for their failures, and he gave our astronauts a way to the space station without hitching a ride on Russian rockets.

For the sake of our country, I hope he will stay engaged in politics. If he doesn’t, I don’t blame him. But I’ll be here in DC trying to keep politicians of both parties from stopping the amazing human progress that he and his engineers have enabled and will enable.

Massie and his fellow Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) have led the charge against the bill, arguing it adds trillions of dollars to the deficit and is the “opposite of conservative.” Paul has been joined by other Republicans in the Senate, like Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), in publicly declaring the current version of the bill will not pass the upper chamber.