Elon Musk isn’t holding back as he takes aim at Stephen King’s take on a bipartisan border bill. The hefty $118 billion deal surfaced for lawmakers in early February, proposing to ramp up Border Patrol hiring and boost ICE’s detention capacity. However, it quickly ran into opposition from Republicans, including former President Donald Trump.
Trump didn’t mince words, labeling the bill “horrendous” and a “death wish” for future GOP careers. The final count saw only 50 votes in support, falling short of the necessary 60 to move forward in the Senate.
King, known for his staunch criticism of Trump, threw blame at the former president for the bill’s failure to pass. He tweeted, “The Republicans torpedoed the bipartisan border bill at Trump’s request,” a post that garnered over 430,000 views.
The Republicans torpedoed the bipartisan border bill at Trump’s request.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) July 29, 2024
But Musk disagreed with King, declaring his own disapproval of the proposed legislation: “Did you read even a summary of that bill? It was a wolf in sheep’s clothing that would have made things worse!” This response caught a fair share of attention too, with over 167,100 views.
As migration into the U.S. surged earlier this year, the immigration debate heated up, with many politicians calling it a crisis.
This isn’t Musk’s first involvement with the topic. Back in September, he visited Eagle Pass, Texas—right by the Mexico border—to connect with local leaders amid rising numbers of migrants seeking asylum in the U.S.
During his trip, Musk livestreamed on X, sharing his view as an immigrant: “I am extremely pro-immigrant. We need a legally expanded immigration system.” He emphasized the need for balanced approaches—supporting legal immigration while curtailing unlawful entry that could overwhelm social services.
On November 1, he reposted a video of border crossings, remarking on the staggering scale of illegal immigration.
As a vocal Democrat, King signed an open letter in 2016 condemning Trump’s presidential run, and he frequently critiques Musk, particularly after the tech mogul revamped Twitter into X.