Jun 9, 2025 Current Resources

Cory Booker Says He Won't Take Money From Elon Musk

Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, said during an appearance on NBC News on Sunday that he would not accept campaign donations from billionaire Elon Musk, but added that he would "welcome" the Tesla CEO getting involved in politics "in a more substantive way."

Newsweek has reached out to Booker for comment via email on Sunday.

Why It Matters

Musk led the cost-cutting task force known as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) until the end of May. He served as a close adviser and key ally to President Donald Trump, and helped bankroll his 2024 campaign with more than $250 million in donations.

On Tuesday, he turned against the administration, speaking out against the One Big Beautiful Bill spending proposal, calling it a "disgusting abomination." Musk's public rebuke marked a notable and apparent departure from the Trump administration's legislative agenda.

The Trump-backed reconciliation package passed the House last month following weeks of negotiations in which House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, wrangled votes from the ultraconservative and more centrist factions of the GOP. While Trump praised the measure in its current form, Senate Republicans have made it clear they plan to make significant changes to it before it passes the upper chamber.

What to Know

NBC News' Meet the Press host Kristen Welker asked Booker, an opponent of Trump's spending bill, if he would accept money from Musk for a potential reelection campaign. He is up for reelection next year.

Booker replied: "I will partner with anyone like I did in the last Congress," arguing that the bill is "an American issue. And I welcome Elon Musk, not to my campaign, I welcome him right now, not to sit back and just fire off tweets, to get involved right now in a more substantive way and putting pressure on Congress people and senators to not do this."

Welker asked again if Booker would ever accept campaign funding from Musk, Booker said, "I would not accept money from Elon Musk for my campaign, but I would be supportive of anybody, including Elon Musk, putting resources forward right now to let more Americans know" about the bill.

Following Musk posts on his social media platform X, formerly Twitter, calling the bill a "massive, outrageous, pork-filled" piece of legislation that is a "disgusting abomination," Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, told Politico that the party should try to welcome Musk.

"We should ultimately be trying to convince him that the Democratic Party has more of the values that he agrees with," the congressman said.

On Saturday, Trump told NBC News that Musk will face "very serious consequences" if he starts to fund Democrats. He did not specify what actions he could take against Musk.

When asked if he has any desire to repair the relationship between the pair, Trump simply said "No," adding that he "would assume" their relationship is over after the very public dispute.

Musk posted a series of messages criticizing the bill, Trump and the Republican Party and some of its leaders. At one point, he posted a poll asking followers whether they support the creation of a new political party, dubbed "The America Party." Of the more than 5.6 million users who responded, 80 percent said yes.

Musk & Booker — Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, is seen on May 14 in Washington, D.C. Inset: Elon Musk attends a news conference in the Oval Office of the White House on May 30 in Washington,...
AP Photo/Evan Vucci Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Student Borrower Protection Center

What People Are Saying

Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, wrote on Wednesday on X: "The Big Beautiful Bill is a debt bomb ticking. It's also the biggest missed opportunity conservatives have ever had to put our country back on a track of fiscal sanity. If we defeat this bill, a better one can be offered that won't bankrupt our country."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Newsweek on Thursday: "This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted. The president is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again."

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, told reporters on Tuesday: "I have to agree with [Musk] on one hand. I always love it when Americans are angry at the federal government and express it. I think that should've been happening for years now. I mean, we're $36 trillion in debt for a reason."

President Donald Trump posted to Truth Social on Thursday: "I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. It's a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesn't pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that. I didn't create this mess, I'm just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, wrote in a X post on June 3: "Musk is right: this bill IS a 'disgusting abomination.' We shouldn't give $664 billion in tax breaks to the 1%. We shouldn't throw 13.7 million people off of Medicaid. We shouldn't cut $290 billion from programs to feed the hungry. Let's defeat this disgusting abomination."

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, told reporters on Tuesday: "We obviously respect everything that Elon did with DOGE. On this particular issue, we have a difference of opinion...he's entitled to that opinion. We're going to proceed full speed ahead."