WASHINGTON (TNND) — Elon Musk’s breakup with President Donald Trump and staunch opposition to the so-called “big, beautiful bill” working its way through Congress has spurred new questions about the billionaire tech CEO’s future in politics after occupying a front-and-center position in the White House and pushing to shape policy in his role as the president’s cost-cutting czar.

Musk was one of Trump’s biggest supporters on the campaign trail with appearances and donations and online, where he wielded his huge following on X — the social media platform he owns — to advocate for his candidacy and the administration’s work. Both could now be moving in the opposite direction after Musk has railed against Trump’s signature legislation, his massive tariff agenda and flung accusations that the president was named in the files about Jeffrey Epstein in a since-deleted post.

In Musk’s multi-post tirade against the legislation he described as a “massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill,” he seemed to suggest he could back primary challengers or other opponents for Republicans who supported it.

“Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it,” he wrote, with a subsequent post appearing to threaten lawmakers ahead of next year’s midterms: “In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people.”

Trump warned that Musk would “have to pay the consequences” if he backed challengers to Republican lawmakers who support his mega tax cut and spending bill that has been at the center of the high-profile break-up between the two.

“He’ll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that,” Trump said.

There are also questions about Musk’s sway over Republicans with the president’s tight grip over the views and mood of the party, making any hypothetical primary clashes between Trump- and Musk-backed candidates a challenging task for the billionaire to pull off.

Musk had previously he planned to roll back his political spending in upcoming elections but left his options open if circumstances changed, which came before the blow-up with the Trump administration.

“If I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it,” he said last month. “I do not currently see a reason.”

Some Democrats have debated whether to attempt to try to win Musk over to capitalize on his past willingness to invest huge sums in politics and steer some support away from the Trump-era Republican Party, but that strategy carries risks after Democratic lawmakers have spent the last several months villainizing Musk and his cost-cutting initiatives.

Musk was a central figure in Trump’s reelection campaign and backing other GOP candidates, spending least $250 million to help get Republicans elected in 2024. He also heavily backed the conservative candidate in a spot for Wisconsin’s Supreme Court after the November election with rallies and $1 million checks for voters in what was ultimately a futile effort with the candidate he backed losing by 10%, a significant margin in a swing state.

Musk’s involvement in politics has done significant damage to his reputation among the public, especially for his handling of the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency that helped facilitate widespread government employee layoffs and pushed for significant cuts to a wide range of assistance and foreign aid programs.

An April poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found just 33% of American adults hold a favorable view of Musk, a sharp decline from 41% in December before Trump took office. His standing was even lower among Democrats and independents at 9% and 21% respectively, raising questions about whether he will be able to find a new political home if he doesn’t reconcile with Republicans and chooses to remain involved in U.S. politics.

Prior to the spat with Trump, Musk’s approval rating was significantly higher among Republicans, generally hovering around 70%, but gaining the wrath of the Trump administration could also cause GOP voters to sour on him.

“He's toxic that way. I'm sure the Democrats are hoping that he continues to roil the Republican Party,” said Ray La Raja, a political science professor and co-director of the UMass poll. “In terms of campaign money, it's totally not worth it for anybody to take money from him from the Democratic Party, or the Republican Party for that matter.”

The rift between Trump and Musk does not appear to be getting resolved, with Trump saying in multiple interviews that he is uninterested in speaking to his recently departed adviser, though Musk has deleted some of his most controversial posts in his tirade against the tax cut and spending bill and several outlets have reported people close to both of them have been encouraging them to hash out their differences.

Musk has continued to push concerns via his X account about what he says is out-of-control spending by Congress, posting and sharing videos of others highlighting America’s growing issue with the deficit. He has also mused about starting a new political party that he says would appeal to a majority of voters that he would call The America Party, though it remains unclear whether he will follow through.

“Many people knew this was going to happen given the size of both their egos and the fact that they don't like to back down and they have different interests, there was going to be a blow-up. Maybe it'll be short-lived, and they both move on, I don't think it's in either of their interest to escalate,” La Raja said.