Musk changed phone number after Trump row – top lawmaker

Mike Johnson has claimed the tech mogul ‘ghosted’ him as he tried to explain the benefit of the ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ Musk opposed

US-based billionaire Elon Musk has changed his mobile phone number and is no longer responding to messages from the speaker of the US House of Representatives, Mike Johnson. The lawmaker himself stated that this presumably happened as he was trying to convince the Tesla and SpaceX CEO of the benefits that President Donald Trump’s ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ would bring.

Musk, who became increasingly close to Trump during the latter’s presidential campaign and in the first months of his administration, has vehemently attacked the massive tax-and-spending bill. This has led to a public rift between the former head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the president.

Appearing on the latest episode of the New York Post-affiliated ‘Pod Force One’ podcast released on Wednesday, Johnson said that he had sent Musk a “long text message, and then his phone number changed.”

“[Later I] realized I was sending it out into the ether somewhere and he never read it, so I look forward to meeting with him in person,” the speaker added, saying that he is trying to get Musk and Trump to reconcile. Johnson explained that he wanted the billionaire to “fully understand what we’re doing and remind him of the strategy,” regarding the spending bill.

Read more

In a series of posts on X earlier this month, Musk warned that Trump’s flagship legislation, which envisions massive increases in spending, cuts to social programs, and a sharp hike of the budget deficit limit, “will bankrupt the country.”

Trump responded by suggesting that he might consider deporting Musk to his native South Africa, and that the axing of government subsidies for electric vehicles could force the billionaire to “close up shop.”

Amid the falling-out over the mega bill, Musk earlier this month announced plans to establish a new ‘America Party’.

In a post on Truth Social shortly thereafter, the US president claimed that his former associate had turned into a “TRAIN WRECK,” predicting that Musk’s new party would prove to be a failure, while risking ushering in “Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS.”