Elon Musk has publicly acknowledged regrets about his heated social media exchange with former President Donald Trump, marking a potential thaw in their recent public feud. The Tesla CEO admitted on X that some of his posts “went too far” during their war of words about Trump’s controversial tax bill and other issues.
The conflict erupted after Musk, previously one of Trump’s most prominent billionaire supporters, resigned from his White House advisory role and launched a blistering attack on the president’s economic policies. Musk had called the tax legislation a “disgusting abomination” that could trigger a recession, while also making unsubstantiated claims about Trump’s alleged connections to Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump responded by threatening to cancel SpaceX’s lucrative government contracts worth $38 billion and suggesting Musk had “lost his mind.” The president told NBC, “You could not disrespect the office of the president,” though he later signaled openness to reconciliation in a New York Post interview.
Behind the scenes, Republican leaders including Vice President JD Vance have reportedly worked to mend the relationship between the two influential figures. Musk, who was Trump’s largest 2024 campaign donor, has since deleted several inflammatory posts, including one calling for Trump’s impeachment.
The public reconciliation attempts come just months after Musk’s abrupt departure from his White House efficiency role, where he promised but failed to deliver massive federal spending cuts. While their feud delighted Democrats and concerned Republicans, both sides now appear motivated to move past the conflict given their shared political interests and Musk’s continued importance to national space and defense programs.