Nationwide — Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and former government advisor, publicly walked back a series of explosive social media posts aimed at President Donald Trump, saying Wednesday that he “regrets” some of his recent remarks. The admission follows a dramatic fallout between the two once-allied figures, whose feud unfolded across X (formerly Twitter) and Truth Social, capturing national attention and raising questions about the political and financial implications of their rift.
CNN reports that Musk, who until recently served as co-head of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, had been a key ally in the administration, especially in efforts to downsize federal agencies. But that partnership unraveled after Musk harshly criticized Trump’s tax and domestic spending legislation, calling it a “disgusting abomination” that would balloon the deficit. Musk then amplified his criticism by resurfacing past comments from Trump and GOP lawmakers that warned against excessive government spending.
The controversy escalated when Musk accused Trump of benefiting from his support during the last presidential election and insinuated, without evidence, that Trump was linked to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. The post alleging Trump’s presence in sealed Epstein files was later deleted, as was another post in which Musk appeared to support the idea of Trump’s impeachment. These inflammatory messages caused a media firestorm and drew sharp responses from Trump and his allies.
President Trump fired back by threatening to cancel federal contracts and subsidies that benefit Musk’s companies. In a podcast interview with the New York Post, Trump said he was “disappointed” in Musk but insisted he held “no hard feelings,” adding that he didn’t understand the CEO’s motives. Speaking to CNN separately, Trump remarked that he was “not even thinking about Elon” and didn’t plan on communicating with him “for a while.”
Since then, Musk appears to be dialing down the rhetoric. He deleted several of his most controversial posts and acknowledged billionaire investor Bill Ackman’s suggestion that he and Trump should reconcile, replying, “You’re not wrong.” Musk also demonstrated alignment with Trump’s immigration stance by liking posts from Vice President JD Vance that supported the administration’s crackdown on protests following ICE raids in Los Angeles.
The timing of Musk’s change in tone may also reflect personal pressure from his father, Errol Musk, who said in a recent interview with Russian media that Elon had “made a mistake” by clashing with the president. “Trump will prevail,” Errol stated. Despite their estranged relationship, Errol predicted that Elon and Trump would ultimately make amends. “It’s just a small thing. It will be over tomorrow,” he said. Whether this marks the beginning of a truce or merely a pause in hostilities remains to be seen.