“It’s disappointing to see them arguing in public,” said U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Troy, who suggested Trump and Musk meet in person to work things out. “You just need to sit there and talk and mend some fences.”
The Miami Valley Republican was all too familiar with the genesis of this fight, which erupted after Musk called out Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” for running up large deficits, and not making enough spending cuts.
Davidson was one of two House Republicans who voted against that bill for those exact reasons, as he had called Musk’s initial declaration a “Big Beautiful Tweet.”
The Big Beautiful Tweet. https://t.co/E6MhnpYCc6
— Warren Davidson 🇺🇸 (@WarrenDavidson) June 3, 2025
“Do you feel vindicated by what Elon Musk has said?” Davidson was asked, as reporters interviewed him on the steps of the Capitol.
“Look, I just hope that people that I care a lot about get along, and they patch up their relationship,” Davidson said. “It’s not compassionate to bankrupt America.”
But instead of spurring a debate among Republicans over how best to fix the “Big, Beautiful Bill” in the Senate, the Trump-Musk alliance crumbled in public, with the president even threatening to cut major government contracts with Musk’s SpaceX company.
On Musk’s side in this spat is the Congressional Budget Office, which this week reported the GOP tax and budget plan would increase the deficit by $2.4 trillion over 10 years — nowhere close to a balanced budget.
On the other side of the political aisle, Ohio Democrats in Congress couldn’t believe what they were watching, as some tried to steer the conversation back to the actual details of the GOP tax and budget plan.
“Cutting food assistance and health care for tens of thousands of folks in southwest Ohio to pay for tax cuts for the super wealthy is outrageous,” said U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Cincinnati (whose district includes Warren County).
“While Elon Musk and President Trump mark their territory, the GOP is working to kick 16 million people off their health care,” added U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo.
Others couldn’t resist jabbing at Trump and Musk.
“I’m calling it the One Big, Beautiful Breakup,” tweeted U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Cleveland.
But even as the Trump-Musk breakup played out, Senate Republicans were confident they could pass this bill later this month.
“I believe we can get it done because we need to get it done,” said U.S. Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio, as Republicans press to extend the Trump 2017 tax cuts which are slated to expire at the end of this year.
“We need to rein government in and provide tax relief to working families,” Husted added.
The GOP goal is a Senate vote by late June — with final House approval and a bill signing ceremony at the White House by July 4.
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