The posts kicked off a kerfuffle within the Republican ranks: Members like Kentucky’s Sen. Rand Paul and Rep. Thomas Massie publicly backed Musk, while GOP leadership quickly went on the defensive, with House Speaker Mike Johnson saying Musk is “terribly wrong” about the bill. Trump has largely, and suspiciously, stayed out of it.

Elon Musk's tenure as a White House employee is over. His time in the political spotlight is probably not. That's not just because he says he'll continue to be in Washington frequently, or because Republicans will continue to call on him for advice.