This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . The next check for changes will be

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jun/06/elon-musk-signals-he-may-back-down-in-public-row-with-donald-trump

The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Trump says Musk has ‘lost his mind’ and dismisses peace offering Donald Trump says Elon Musk has ‘lost his mind’ and dismisses peace offering
(about 3 hours later)
Trump says he’s ‘not particularly’ interested in reconciling with Elon Musk, who reportedly wanted to speak to president Trump says he’s ‘not particularly’ interested in reconciling with Musk, who reportedly wanted to speak to president
US politics live – latest updatesUS politics live – latest updates
Donald Trump appeared to dismiss a peace overture from his former close political ally Elon Musk on Friday, calling him someone who had “lost his mind” as the extraordinary falling out between the two men looked set to continue. Donald Trump has accused Elon Musk of “losing his mind” as the dramatic breakdown between America’s most powerful person and the world’s richest person escalated into a full-blown feud that could have seismic political and economic consequences.
The US president and the richest person in the world – who had been tasked with slashing the federal government – fell out in spectacular fashion on Thursday in a series of escalating social media posts that roiled the political world. In a series of phone calls to US media on Friday morning, Trump snapped back at Musk, after the tech mogul and Republican financier launched an extraordinary social media attack on the president the day before, which ended with him accusing Trump of being named in the so-called “Epstein files” – documents related to the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
On Friday, ABC News interviewed Trump by phone and he doubled down on his newfound hostility to Musk, who had backed him with millions of dollars in the 2024 election campaign. The row between the two men, who were near constant companions during the latter stages of Trump’s presidential campaign and his first months in the White House, showed no sign of abating, with Musk’s self-proclaimed status as “first buddy” rapidly disappearing in the rear-view mirror.
The news channel asked Trump about reports of a call scheduled with Musk for later in the day. “You mean the man who has lost his mind?” Trump replied, saying he was “not particularly” interested in talking to him right now. Trump, who is not known to take criticism well, made his displeasure clear on Friday, doubling down on his newfound hostility to Musk, who spent nearly $300m to elect the 78-year-old. In an interview with ABC News, Trump was asked about reports of a potentially peacemaking phone call scheduled with Musk for later in the day, to which Trump responded, “You mean the man who has lost his mind?” and added that he was “not particularly” interested in talking to his former confidante right now.
ABC reported that Musk wanted to talk to Trump, but the president was not ready to talk to Musk. The president also spoke to CNN, saying, “I’m not even thinking about Elon. He’s got a problem. The poor guy’s got a problem,” and told Politico that the relationship with Musk was “going very well, never done better”.
Earlier Musk had suggested he may de-escalate his public row with Donald Trump after their spectacular falling-out. As well as giving many people a reason to return to X – the social media site Musk owns and where he has recently been amplifying rightwing, pro-Trump views – the bitter fight could heavily affect the political landscape. Musk suggested starting a new political party, one “that actually represents the 80% in the middle”, and given his wealth he would be able to pump millions into next year’s midterm elections, potentially influencing races across the country.
The Tesla chief executive signalled he would back down on a pledge to decommission the Dragon spacecraft – made by his SpaceX business – in an exchange on his X social media platform. He also responded positively to a call from fellow multibillionaire Bill Ackman to “make peace” with the US president. In the space race, meanwhile, Nasa has become increasingly reliant on Musk’s SpaceX company, with the Dragon spacecraft being used to transport the agency’s astronauts to and from the International Space Station, and Musk pledged to decommission the Dragon in the wake of the Trump fight. He quickly signalled an about-face, but it was a reminder of Musk’s influence, which is further bolstered by the key role the Starlink satellite broadband platform plays in Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion.
Politico also reported overnight that the White House had scheduled a call with Musk on Friday to broker a peace deal after both men traded verbal blows on Thursday. But later on Friday, multiple reports suggested there was now no call set up between the two men. Trump, meanwhile, threatened to cancel Musk’s US government contracts, and the president’s ally Steve Bannon suggested that Musk, a South African-born American citizen, “should be deported from the country immediately”. In a sign of the immediate impact on Musk, his net worth fell by $33bn on Thursday alone, while Tesla’s shares initially dropped by about 14.2%, wiping roughly $152bn off the value of the company.
The rolling spat – which played out over social media and in a Trump White House appearance – included the president saying he was “very disappointed in Elon” over Musk’s criticism of his tax and spending bill. Musk also said the president’s trade policies would cause a recession and raised Trump’s connections to the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The rolling quarrel began after Musk criticized Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” – tax and spending legislation that experts say would add $2.4tn to the national debt, strip more than 10 million people of their health insurance and enshrine tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. Trump said he was “very disappointed in Elon” over the criticism, as Musk said Trump’s trade policies would cause a recession, before the dispute escalated wildly.
Musk had responded to a Trump threat to cancel his US government contracts on Thursday with a post on X stating he would retire his Dragon spacecraft, which is used by Nasa. However, responding to an X user’s post urging both sides to “cool off”, Musk wrote: “Good advice. Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon.” Sign up to This Week in Trumpland
Musk also appeared to proffer an olive branch in a reply to a post from the hedge fund owner Ackman, who called on Trump and Musk to “make peace for the benefit of our great country”. Musk replied: “You’re not wrong.” A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration
Politico also reported a potential peace call between Musk and the White House, claiming Trump’s aides had worked to persuade the president to tone down his public criticism of the Tesla owner before arranging the phone conversation for Friday. after newsletter promotion
After a brief interview with Trump about Thursday’s Musk implosion, Politico reported that the president displayed “an air of nonchalance” about the spat. “Oh, it’s OK,” Trump said, when asked about the dispute. “It’s going very well, never done better.” Referring to his favourability ratings, Trump added: “The numbers are through the roof, the highest polls I’ve ever had and I have to go.” Many had predicted that the relationship between Musk and Trump, two men known for their large egos and unpredictable behavior, could not last, but the sheer level of vitriol stunned Americans and would seem to make a reconciliation unlikely.
Politico reported that Trump’s aides had urged the president to focus on getting his tax and spending bill through the Senate instead of clashing with Musk, with one of his Truth Social posts reflecting a less confrontational tone. “I don’t mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform, before adding that the tax-cut legislation was one of the “Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress”. Musk did at least appear to proffer an olive branch in a reply to a post from the hedge fund owner Bill Ackman, who called on Trump and Musk to “make peace for the benefit of our great country”, but on Friday Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, told NBC News “there are no plans” for a call between the two men.
In the meantime, it was business as usual for Trump on Friday, the president offering a series of misleading takes on the US job market, which new figures show slowed in May. Musk was unusually quiet on social media, as Tesla’s shares rebounded somewhat from Thursday’s loss, rising by 6%, although at least one customer seemed keen to divest from the company: the White House said on Friday that Trump plans to sell his Tesla Model S.