In a surprising turn of events, Elon Musk has walked back some of his most controversial remarks targeting President Donald Trump, signaling a potential thaw in the escalating public feud between the two powerful figures.
“I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far,” Musk wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday. His statement comes after a flurry of inflammatory social media exchanges that saw Musk and Trump—once close allies—turn bitter critics of each other almost overnight.
The dispute marks a dramatic shift in a relationship that, until recently, was defined by political collaboration. Musk had served as co-head of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, leading sweeping cuts in the federal workforce. The partnership, however, began to unravel after Musk denounced Trump’s signature tax and domestic policy bill, calling it a “disgusting abomination” for its projected impact on the national deficit.
The tech mogul didn’t stop there. He resurfaced old comments from Trump and prominent Republicans about the dangers of runaway government spending, using them to underscore what he sees as hypocrisy in the administration’s fiscal policies.
But it was Musk’s more personal and explosive social media posts that truly set the feud ablaze. Among them, a claim that Trump “would have lost” the last election without his support, and a now-deleted suggestion linking Trump to the unreleased Jeffrey Epstein files—without offering any evidence. Legal experts and commentators were quick to note that a name’s appearance in such documents does not imply guilt or wrongdoing.
Trump, never one to shy away from a fight, responded forcefully. On his platform, Truth Social, he floated the idea of canceling federal contracts and subsidies tied to Musk’s businesses, including Tesla and SpaceX. In a podcast released Wednesday, Trump told New York Post’s Pod Force One that while he was “disappointed” in Musk, he held “no hard feelings.”
“I was really surprised,” Trump said. “I don’t know what his problem is, really. I haven’t thought too much about him in the last little while.”
In a sign that cooler heads may be prevailing, Musk has begun deleting some of his more incendiary posts and even voiced agreement with billionaire investor Bill Ackman’s call for reconciliation. “He’s not wrong,” Musk commented under Ackman’s appeal for peace.
Tesla stock appeared to respond positively to Musk’s softer tone, rising 2% in premarket trading following his conciliatory post.
Musk has also continued to align with the Trump administration on certain policy issues, such as immigration. He signaled support for the government’s crackdown on recent protests in Los Angeles, sparked by immigration raids, by reposting American flag emojis in response to Vice President JD Vance’s warning against “rioting and violence.”
While Musk did not clarify which specific comments he regretted, the move has been seen by observers as an attempt to deescalate tensions. Even his estranged father, Errol Musk, weighed in during a Russian media interview, saying his son had “made a mistake” by taking on Trump and predicting a reconciliation was inevitable.
“Trump will prevail. He is the president,” Errol Musk said. “It’s just a small thing. It will be over tomorrow.”
Whether the feud truly fizzles out or reignites remains to be seen. For now, at least, the temperature appears to be dropping between two of the most influential voices in American politics and business.
