There has now been a new twist in the tension between Donald Trump and Elon Musk, as the president has branded DOGE a 'monster' that could 'go back and eat the billionaire' following their public fallout.
It was clear that the wild allegations thrown between Elon Musk and Donald Trump in early June wouldn't be the end of what has now become a lengthy feud, as both have continued to take action in the weeks following the initial social media incident.
Musk has undoubtedly been the most active in his aggression, focusing particularly on the new 'Big Beautiful Bill' which he opposes on multiple fronts, whereas the president has remained largely apathetic towards the tech mogul.
Trump has now taken a major counter blow though with a recent threat, suggesting that he would turn Elon's brainchild back upon him to deal serious damage to his business ventures.
What has Donald Trump said about DOGE?
As reported by CNN, Trump spoke to Fox News and revealed that Musk was risking losing "a lot more" than just government contracts - shared between SpaceX, Starlink, and Tesla - and that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is a 'monster' that could be turned against the richest man in the world.
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"We might have to put DOGE on Elon," the president remarked. "You know what DOGE is? The monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn't that be terrible? He gets a lot of subsidies."
The implication here is the Trump would use DOGE's purpose as a cost-saving unit to remove all of the financially beneficial ties between the government and Musk's companies, effectively using his own creation against him.
It's unclear what 'more' Musk is at risk of losing, although Trump did suggest that he would be willing to 'look into' whether it would be possible to deport him - a threat which one former White House official has also linked to seizing Musk's companies.
How has Elon Musk responded?
Musk understandably wasn't too happy with these threats and allegations, and he made the effort to post his own response on social media, as he's often so fond of doing.
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"So tempting to escalate this. So, so tempting," Musk wrote, before indicating that he "will refrain for now."
Whether that refrain comes from the fear of escalation from Trump's side is unclear, but he is also likely facing pressure from Tesla investors who worry that further action will continue to lower the company's stock value.
This has also perhaps been echoed in a post that many considered to be 'grovelling' as Musk praised the president for achieving a potential resolution in the conflict between Palestine and Israel.
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It is also unclear what Musk's process of escalation would amount to, but knowing how the saga has unfolded so far it likely won't be long until we find out - especially if he goes ahead with the creation of the 'America Party' in opposition to Trump.