Tesla CEO Elon Musk has walked back a string of controversial social media posts made about U.S. President Donald Trump, publicly admitting that his comments went too far.
The apology on X comes after days of escalating tension between the two once-close allies, a feud that has drawn national attention and impacted Tesla’s market performance.
“I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far,” Musk stated
Backstory
Elon Musk was once a key figure in Trump’s inner circle. As co-head of the Department of Government Efficiency, he oversaw large-scale layoffs of federal workers under Trump’s administration. The alliance between the two billionaires symbolized a tech-government partnership that aimed to streamline bureaucracy.
- However, the relationship began to sour after Musk criticized one of Trump’s signature legislative victories, a sweeping tax cut and domestic spending bill. Musk labeled the bill a disgusting abomination, saying that those who voted for it did wrong.
- The feud intensified when Musk posted archived clips of Trump and other Republicans raising concerns over deficit spending, seemingly to highlight their inconsistency. This marked a turning point that shifted Musk from supporter to vocal critic.
- Musk had claimed the President would have lost the last election without his support.
Nairametrics reported that Elon Musk’s net worth suffered a staggering $33.9 billion drop on June 6, marking one of the most dramatic single-day losses in recent history
Musk threatened to suspend operations of a critical SpaceX spacecraft used by NASA for resupply missions to the International Space Station, but he reversed the decision within hours.
Trump retaliates
Trump responded on his Truth Social platform by threatening to revoke government contracts and subsidies tied to Musk’s companies.
He also dismissed the significance of their fallout in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on Friday, “I’m not even thinking about Elon,” and I won’t be speaking to him for a while,” he said.
In the days following the spat, Musk deleted several controversial posts, including one alleging Trump’s inclusion in Epstein-related documents and another that echoed calls for Trump’s impeachment.
He also signaled openness to reconciliation in a response of not wrong to an X post by billionaire investor Bill Ackman, who called for Musk and Trump to make peace.
What you should know
Elon Musk officially departed his role as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on May 27.
DOGE was an advisory body created by an executive order from US President Donald Trump on January 20, 2025. Its stated aim was to modernize technology, boost productivity, and cut spending and regulations within the US federal government. Musk, though an unpaid “special government employee” with a 130-day work limit per year, was widely considered the driving force behind DOGE.
During his tenure, DOGE claimed to have saved an estimated $175 billion through actions like closing agencies, defunding programs, and mass layoffs. However, these claims faced scrutiny and legal challenges due to a lack of transparency and questions about the actual savings.
