I guess I could, but not a priority: Trump on if he would reconcile with Musk
Trump said that he is open to reconciliation with Elon Musk, but that's not on his priority list. Their relationship was strained after a public feud over a bill last week.
In Short
- Trump open to fixing ties with Musk but not a priority
- Musk, Trump relationship strained after public feud
- Trump disappointed but holds no hard feelings
Days after a very public feud, US President Donald Trump commented on his ties with Elon Musk, signalling a willingness to amend them. Speaking with New York Post columnist Miranda Devine on her new podcast “Pod Force One,” Trump said he was “a little disappointed” in Musk after their friendship fell apart, but had no hard feelings.
He made it clear, however, that reconciling with Musk was not a matter on his priority list.
“Look, I have no hard feelings. I was really surprised that that happened. He went after a bill that’s phenomenal. He just — I think he feels very badly that he said that, actually,” Trump said, as quoted by the New York Post.
Trump and Musk's bond was strained after a public feud which followed an increasingly bitter war-of-words on social media. From Musk's big Epstein files charge against Trump to him taking credit for Trump's Presidential election win, the feud only snowballed.
The rupture came in the wake of Musk’s sharp criticism of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which the Congressional Budget Office estimates will add USD 3 trillion to the national debt over the next decade. Musk had been leading the Department of Government Efficiency’s cost-cutting initiative prior to the split.
This came just days after Trump gave Musk a friendly send-off at the White House after he stepped down from his role as the President's advisor.
“I was disappointed in him,” Trump said. “But, you know, it is what it is I don’t blame him for anything.” When asked if they might become friends again, Trump said, “I guess I could, but we have to fix the country first.”
Trump had earlier said Musk had “lost his mind” and even talked about cutting federal contracts for his companies.
On Friday, Trump told CNN, “The poor guy’s got a problem,” but didn’t explain further. Referring to that, Devine asked Trump, “You said he had problems. What kind of problems? I mean, is it the drugs?” Trump replied, “I don’t know what his problem is, really. I don’t know. I haven’t thought too much about him in the last little while, but the bill is so good.”
Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon recently claimed Musk got into a physical fight with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during an argument in April. Trump confirmed there was an argument but said it wasn’t a fistfight.
“They had, not a fistfight, you know, but I guess they had a little bit of a shouting match But that’s typical,” he said.
While the ties between Trump and Musk have definitely been strained, the Tesla CEO has made some moves recently, hinting at a possible patch-up. Musk took down his post claiming Trump had been named in Jeffrey Epstein files, and a day later, he endorsed Trump's tweet regarding the ongoing protests in Los Angeles over immigration raids.