Russian official Dmitry Novikov with the State Duma Committee on International Affairs told Russian state media TASS that he "think[s] that Musk has a completely different game, [so] he will not need any political asylum, although if he did, Russia, of course, could provide it," Newsweek reports.
This comes after a public spat in which Musk took aim at Trump over a bill that is currently before the US Senate that includes tax provisions, spending for border security, and other measures that fulfill many of Trump's campaign promises.
Musk is displeased with the bill because of the impact it is projected to have on the national debt, which is a concern of his. He took a position with the newly created Department of Government Efficiency with the explicit plan of cutting government spending, namely fraud and waste.
His concern is that under the bill, which has increased spending for border security as well as other measures, the deficit will be too great. In response to his displeasure, he took to social media platform X to blast Trump and make allegations against the president.
Trump primarily kept his cool, though he said he was disappointed in Musk over the public spat. Musk has extensive contracts with the US government for both SpaceX and Starlink.
