Trump Says He’ll ‘Take a Look’ at Deporting Musk After Criticism of Spending Bill
1st July 2025
In a stunning remark Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would “take a look” at the possibility of deporting billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk, following the SpaceX and Tesla CEO’s sharp criticism of Trump’s latest flagship spending bill.
Trump made the comment during a press briefing at the White House when asked about Musk’s social media posts describing the administration’s proposed $2.7 trillion infrastructure and defense funding package as “bloated” and “economically reckless.”
“Elon Musk has done some good things, but when people start working against what’s best for America, you have to take a look at everything, even their status,” Trump said. “He wasn’t born here, you know.”
Musk, who was born in South Africa and became a U.S. citizen in 2002, has long been a controversial figure due to his outspoken views and frequent online spats. He has not responded directly to Trump’s comment, but posted a cryptic message on X (formerly Twitter) late Tuesday: “The empire always strikes back.”
The statement immediately sparked backlash from civil liberties groups and legal scholars, many of whom noted that a naturalized U.S. citizen like Musk cannot be deported without due process and only under extreme, specific legal conditions, typically involving serious criminal convictions.
“This is not how immigration or citizenship law works,” said Professor Linda Cartwright, a constitutional law expert at Georgetown University. “Citizenship isn’t conditional upon political loyalty.”
As the political drama unfolds, analysts warn that such rhetoric could strain relations between the Trump administration and the tech industry, where Musk remains a powerful, if polarizing, figure.
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