Trump team affirms he's leader of GOP amid 'President Musk' barbs

President-elect Trump's transition team pushed back against Democratic lawmakers who suggested Elon Musk is the "real leader" of the Republican Party after his aggressive pressure campaign against a stopgap spending measure.

"As soon as President Trump released his official stance on the CR [continuing resolution], Republicans on Capitol Hill echoed his point of view. President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop," said Karoline Leavitt, transition spokesperson for the Trump-Vance team, in a statement shared with The Hill.

Musk, a close ally of Trump, fired off numerous social media posts on Wednesday railing against the bipartisan spending measure, which was released Tuesday night ahead of the Dec. 20 shutdown deadline.

Musk, who is co-leading Trump's "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) advisory panel to slash government spending, urged members of Congress to vote against the bill, describing the more-than-1500-page measure as a big "piece of pork."

At one point, he argued any lawmaker who supports the CR should be voted out of office and called for a moratorium on all legislation until Trump takes office on Jan. 20.

He, along with DOGE co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy, posted online about the CR for hours on Wednesday before Trump and Vice President-elect Vance broke their silence and came out against the measure.

Amid mounting pressure from Trump and his allies, the CR quickly crumbled, and several Democrats were quick to point the finger at Musk's barrage of online posts as a driving factor in the breakdown.

Several Democratic lawmakers argued "President Elon Musk" is responsible for any impending government shutdown and used the situation as a chance to question Trump's grip on his own party.

It remains unclear how much of a role Musk and Ramaswamy's online posts played in Trump and Vance's public opposition and whether the two DOGE leaders were in communication with the president-elect.

Several GOP members told The Hill on Wednesday they believe Musk has growing influence on Capitol Hill, with at least one lawmaker reportedly suggesting his posts may have impacted the vote count for the original CR.

The bill would have funded the government through March 14 and averted the Dec. 20 deadline.

House Republicans are now looking at an alternative government funding stopgap that excludes a debt ceiling increase and instead works on a committee to raise the borrowing limit twice next year in an effort to appease Trump.

The new bill, which is still being hashed out and is subject to change, would be similar to Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La) earlier plan, minus some policy provisions, two sources told The Hill on Thursday.

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