Could the very public clash between US President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk already be heading toward a truce?
On Thursday, Musk indicated he was ready to cool tensions with Trump, following a volatile day in which he called for the president’s impeachment and implied Trump was hiding files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
The remarks came after Musk’s scathing attacks on the Republican tax bill drew ire from the White House, culminating in Trump’s threat to revoke billions in government contracts for Musk’s companies, Tesla and SpaceX.
According to Politico, White House officials have also scheduled a call with Musk for Friday in hopes of brokering peace.
As of late Thursday night, the White House had not issued an official comment on the matter.
Musk walks back aggressive stance as markets punish Tesla
Musk’s decision to escalate his rhetoric against Trump had swift financial consequences.
Tesla shares plunged 14% on Thursday — their largest single-day drop in history — wiping out $152 billion in market value and slashing Musk’s personal fortune by $34 billion.
In an apparent effort to reduce tensions, Musk reversed a prior post where he had announced SpaceX would stop using its Dragon spacecraft.
Responding to a user with only 200 followers on X who advised both men to “cool off,” Musk replied, “Good advice. Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon.”
He also responded positively to hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, who urged the two to reconcile “for the benefit of our great country.”
Musk’s reply: “You’re not wrong.”
Source: X
Trump shrugs off feud, highlights polling and legislative agenda
Additionally, despite the public spat, President Trump appeared unfazed in a brief phone interview with Politico.
“Oh, it’s okay,” he said when asked about the feud with Musk.
“It’s going very well, never done better.” He quickly pivoted to touting high favourability ratings before ending the call.
Privately, however, White House aides were reportedly concerned about the feud distracting from legislative priorities.
According to Politico, officials persuaded Trump to scale back his attacks on Musk and focus on the administration’s sweeping tax bill — a centrepiece of the president’s second-term agenda that narrowly passed the House and is now in the Senate.
The president appeared to heed that advice in a Truth Social post, writing, “I don’t mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago.”
He went on to defend the legislation, calling it “one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress” and signed off with his trademark, “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Republican lawmakers caught between a rock and a hard place
The clash has forced Republican lawmakers into an uncomfortable position.
Musk, a significant financial contributor to the party and owner of the influential platform X, has become an increasingly vital figure in conservative politics.
Trump, meanwhile, remains the Republican Party’s dominant force.
House Speaker Mike Johnson attempted to strike a conciliatory note, telling reporters that “policy differences shouldn’t be personal” and referring to Musk as a friend.
Behind the scenes, party operatives with ties to both men were reportedly working to calm the waters.
A volatile alliance shows its limits
The day’s events marked a dramatic turning point in the once-close relationship between Trump and Musk, who had worked together in recent months to align tech innovation with federal policy.
Musk’s recent criticisms of government spending, particularly around the tax bill, triggered a rare open rebellion against Trump, one that quickly spiralled into mutual threats and financial damage.
Whether the cooling tone holds or merely sets the stage for another round of political theatre remains to be seen.
For now, both men seem to recognize the high costs of continued escalation.
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