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Attempts by Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) to shift blame on the looming government shutdown on President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats provoked a testy exchange from a CNN host who immediately called out the lawmaker – and his Republican colleagues.

The on-air moment happened Friday when a clearly frustrated Jake Tapper pushed back on Lawler’s argument that Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) were ostensibly absent from the spending bill negotiations.

A Republican former lawmaker said Donald Trump and ally Elon Musk appear to be on a "collision course" and warned Americans that another close adviser of Trump's is promising "never-ending chaos."

Former Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) told CNN anchor Jake Tapper on "The Lead" that Steve Bannon is "essentially promising never-ending chaos."

Tech billionaire and Donald Trump ally Elon Musk lashed out at a Democratic lawmaker on Friday afternoon who accused him of "endorsing a neo-Nazi party."

Following Trump's win over Vice President Kamala Harris, Musk has recently tried to use his influence to tilt Germany’s election, endorsing on his platform, X, the country’s far-right Alternative for Germany party. Musk wrote Thursday night, “Only the AfD can save Germany.”

The bedlam unfolding on Capitol Hill over passing a stopgap bill to avert a government shutdown could portend trouble for the GOP's broader legislative agenda, former Donald Trump director of legislative affairs Marc Short told CNBC News on Friday.

CNBC anchor Carl Quintanilla asked Short whether tech billionaire Elon Musk's interference in the process — which led the GOP caucus to scrap a bipartisan deal weeks in the making and then try to pass a partisan, stripped-down version only for dozens of Republicans to vote against it anyway — has permanently changed the way things work on Capitol Hill.

Donald Trump may have caused headaches for himself by making an enemy of a Texas Republican, according to a former lawmaker.

The president-elect singled out Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) this week on social media after the congressman joined 38 GOP lawmakers who opposed a Trump-endorsed bill that would have increased the debt limit as part of a measure to keep the government temporarily funded, but former GOP congressman Carlos Curbelo told MSNBC said other Republicans opposed the measure.

According to GOP strategist Susan Del Percio, Donald Trump's decision to meddle in the budget negotiations after a deal had been reached with Democrats is a sign that he cares little for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) or his future.

During an interview on MSNBC on Friday, host Andrea Mitchell asked Del Percio, "As long as the speaker's caucus is this divided he [Johnson] can't get anything past without Democratic votes, but what happens when they have to take responsibility?"

"I think right now Speaker Johnson is in a really bad position because Donald Trump has, in essence, turned against him," she replied. "He basically said 'I'm just not that into you, I only care about my own agenda. I know that if you are re-elected speaker in January you're going to have even a smaller margin.'"

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"Basically Donald Trump also misread what the Republican conference and especially the Freedom Caucus is all about," she elaborated. "The Freedom Caucus is as MAGA as MAGA can be. But also they are principled, agree with them or not, they want to see the debt ceiling erased –– full stop."

'When we are looking at what Speaker Johnson faces he should frankly just put the old bill back and take the heat from Donald Trump and let Donald Trump decide if he wants to have a rudderless House in the beginning of his first hundred days," she added.

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CNN anchor Brianna Keilar hit back with straight talk as a Republican on her show began complaining about Democrats “demonizing” Elon Musk Friday.

Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA) took to the network to defend the rejection of Speaker Mike Johnson’s proposed spending bill Thursday night — a move that plunged D.C. into chaos and threatens to shut down the government days before Christmas.

Former Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) unloaded on congressional Republicans on Friday for creating what he described as a "holy mess" by following X owner Elon Musk's orders and tanking a bipartisan deal to keep the federal government from shutting down.

Appearing on MSNBC on Friday, Dent expressed bewilderment at Republicans who said that they don't need to bother negotiating with Democrats to fund the government.

During an appearance on MSNBC on Friday morning, longtime Washington, D.C. correspondent Jake Sherman admitted the current chaos of getting a budget deal done before a government shutdown is the worst he has ever seen.

Speaking with "Morning Joe" co-host Jonathan Lemire, the co-founder of Punchbowl News appeared stunned by what he has been watching.

With both Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk scrutinizing every move made by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Sherman was asked, "Are we going to get a deal tonight to keep the government open?" by Lemire.

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"You better hope so if you're a Republican, Jonathan, because this is quite the inauspicious way for Donald Trump to start his presidency."

"He has inserted this debt limit into the negotiation at the 11th and half hour, driving up the price," he continued. "What he's done here is he's made it harder to raise the debt ceiling because you need Democratic votes and Democrats know that they can –– they could demand –– whatever they want from Republicans at the end of the day if Trump sticks with that demand, he's driven the price up significantly."

Stating he wasn't sure how House Republicans can pull off getting a budget through, he admitted, "I'll be honest with you, I've been doing this a long time, I'm not quite sure I've ever seen a mess like this before."

"The speaker has cycled through two proposals this week," he elaborated. "One, the first proposal, which was destined to fail, never made it to the floor. The second proposal Trump backed, unofficially whipped it and it failed miserably, showing the limits of Trump's power on Capitol Hill."

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Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson reportedly plans to bring a third spending bill to the House floor for a vote on Friday morning, just hours before an increasingly likely federal government shutdown at midnight. The bill must pass in the House, clear the Senate, and be signed into law by President Joe Biden to avert a shutdown, which would come just days before Christmas as Congress plans to leave D.C. for its holiday recess.

Given Johnson's razor-thin majority, he will need votes from Democrats, who are furious over his refusal to negotiate with them. As CBS News' Scott MacFarlane reports, "Democratic votes are needed - no matter what — to avoid a shutdown."

MSNBC's "Morning Joe" co-host Johnathan Lemire turned the floor over to Chris Matthews on Friday morning and the former MSNBC host didn't hold back, roasting billionaire Elon Musk as a "clown" and a "fool" who is putting the continuing operation of the government at risk.

Reflecting on the possible government shutdown, in large part due to the billionaire's threats aimed at GOP lawmakers, Matthews fired off a breathless rant suggesting that Musk is ignorant about how government works.

After taking a shot at Donald Trump for serving up "dead fish" as his nominees for his Cabinet, he turned his ire on Musk, stating, "Musk is an idiot. He may be a genius at making money, but we have to kill this habit of thinking everybody knows how to make money with e-cars or whatever else, somehow knows something about civics."

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"He doesn't know anything about running the House of Representatives. he doesn't know anything about getting a majority vote," he exclaimed. "[Former senior Democrat] Howard Baker said you have to get to the third grade to be able to know how to win in the Senate –– that's called 51 votes –– you have to understand it."

"This clown, and he is a clown, knows nothing about government," he continued. "He knows all about making money. One time I actually agree with [Vermont Sen.} Bernie Sanders this time around: he's one of the millionaires and billionaires that ought to stay out of our face. They make money? Okay, but stop running the United States government ––that's what Musk is doing right now this weekend."

"The only theory I do have, and I love it, is that Trump is planning to destroy Elon Musk," he continued. "He puts him out there in the beginning, late in the Biden administration and he has him destroy himself because he can't work with the Congress, he can't put together a coalition, he can't get 218 votes, which is the name of the game in the House of Representatives –– 218. I live with that for six years with Tip O'Neill. If you don't get 218, you lose. Tell him that! Blame it all on Musk."

"I think Trump would like to get rid of his new dancing partner. I don't think he really wants him around, he doesn't like him around. He's basically saying already, 'When are you leaving?' I think he means it."

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