Trump, Musk Cool Public Feud After Days of Online Jabs, Policy Clashes
After a week of sharp public exchanges, the once-warm relationship between President Donald Trump and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk appeared to show signs of mending on Monday.
In a clip shared by conservative influencer ALX, Trump struck a conciliatory tone, saying:
“We had a great relationship and I wish him well — very well, actually.” Musk responded to the clip with a heart emoji on X, signaling a possible thaw in tensions.
In a late Sunday post, Trump slammed California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass over their handling of the unrest, calling the rioters “troublemakers and insurrectionists.” Musk reposted the message, amplifying Trump’s message to his millions of followers.
Musk also shared a post from Vice President JD Vance, who praised Trump’s leadership during the riots.
“This moment calls for decisive leadership,” Vance wrote, including a screenshot of Trump’s plan to address the violence.
Adding a touch of humor to the situation, Musk posted a self-deprecating comment that many viewed as a nod to his own role in the feud: “It’s outrageous how much character assassination has been directed at me, especially by me!”
The public rift between Trump and Musk began after Musk vocally criticized Trump’s recently proposed spending bill, which aimed to cut $2 trillion in federal expenditures. The backlash reportedly stemmed from the removal of certain electric vehicle (EV) incentives — a pillar of Musk’s business interests.
While speaking from the Oval Office last Thursday, Trump said he was “very disappointed” with Musk’s criticism, accusing the billionaire of reversing his stance for political reasons.
“Elon knew what was in the bill and had no problem with it until we had to cut the EV incentives,” Trump said.
Musk fired back on X, calling Trump’s claim “false.” The spat escalated further as Trump posted multiple times criticizing Musk, referencing his appointment to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — a role from which Musk later stepped down.
“Elon was ‘wearing thin.’ I asked him to leave,” Trump wrote. “I took away his EV mandate that forced everyone to buy electric cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!”
In another post, Trump added:
“I don’t mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the greatest bills ever presented to Congress. It’s a record cut in expenses — $1.6 trillion — and the biggest tax cut ever given.”
He warned that failure to pass the bill would trigger a 68% tax increase and “things far worse than that.”
The feud reached a peak when Musk made a controversial reference to Jeffrey Epstein in connection to Trump, a move that several Republican lawmakers privately told Fox News Digital was “a step too far.” Musk later deleted the post.
In subsequent posts, Musk accused Trump of “ingratitude,” claiming that Trump would not have won the election without his support. He also floated the idea of impeachment, suggesting Vice President JD Vance should take over — a statement that drew further scrutiny from GOP insiders.
With input from Fox News
