Trump late Monday night fought back, suggesting his administration may investigate Musk’s companies’ massive government contracts. On Tuesday at the White House, Trump said Musk risked losing “a lot more” than government subsidies and threatened that the Department of Government Efficiency that Musk once led may “go back and eat Elon.”

On Tuesday, the Daily Mail’s Emily Goodin asked Trump if he would deport Musk, and the president responded, “I don’t know. We’ll have to take a look. We may have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn’t that be terrible?”