White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was fact-checked by Elon Musk's own chatbot Grok after she claimed that President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" "does not add to the deficit" despite all evidence to the contrary.
The proposed tax breaks in the GOP bill are projected to significantly exceed the spending cuts included in the legislation, raising alarm among economists and policy analysts about the potential for ballooning national debt.
According to multiple assessments, including one from the Joint Committee on Taxation released earlier this month, the plan could add as much as $3.8 trillion to the federal deficit over the next 10 years if enacted without major revisions.
Adding to these concerns: on Friday, Moody’s Ratings downgraded the U.S. credit outlook, warning that the legislation could add $4 trillion to the federal primary deficit—which excludes interest payments—over the next decade, compounding fiscal pressures at a time of already high debt levels.
But to hear Leavitt tell it, the legislation is totally above board, as she told a reporter who asked whether Trump "is OK with this bill adding to the deficit":
“This bill does not add to the deficit. In fact, according to the Council of Economic Advisers, this bill will save $1.6 trillion, and the president absolutely understands and hears the concerns of fiscal conservatives and of Americans who want to get our fiscal house in order."
“That’s what the intention of this bill is. There’s $1.6 trillion worth of savings in this bill. That’s the largest savings for any legislation that has ever passed Capitol Hill in our nation’s history.”
You can hear what she said in the video below.
And after one social media user asked Grok to weigh in on Leavitt's statements, the chatbot issued the following factcheck:
"Independent analyses, like from the Tax Foundation and CRFB, estimate the "Big Beautiful Bill" could add $3.3T-$5.3T to the deficit over 10 years due to tax cuts. The White House claims $1.6T in savings, but no clear evidence from the CEA supports this. Evidence leans toward a deficit increase, not savings."
You can see Grok's response below.
Leavitt was mocked profusely after Grok came through with the factcheck.
Trump is applying mounting pressure on House Republicans to unify behind the bill and has specifically called on moderates from high-tax blue states to abandon their push for more generous state and local tax (SALT) deductions.
According to a White House official, he told members of the SALT Caucus to “let SALT go,” arguing that Republicans can revisit the issue later and that their current objections shouldn’t derail the broader package.
Trump also warned lawmakers not to “f**k with Medicaid,” cautioning against any proposed changes that go beyond eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse—including efforts to remove undocumented immigrants from the rolls and implement work requirements. He made it clear that he’s running out of patience with internal divisions, telling all GOP members to vote “yes.”
Trump did indicate some flexibility on SALT, signaling support for raising the deduction cap from $10,000 to $30,000 for those earning under $400,000—a compromise currently in the bill, though still opposed by several SALT Caucus members.
