The US president stated he could offer forgiveness to the Tesla CEO following a public disagreement that descended into personal insults.
President Donald Trump has indicated he is open to forgiving Elon Musk after their public dispute, which involved the Tesla CEO’s criticism of a key policy initiative of the administration.
The conflict between the two, previously considered allies, escalated the previous week due to Trump’s tax and spending bill, which he described as “Big Beautiful.” Musk, who recently left his position as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), had repeatedly voiced his disapproval of the bill, claiming it hindered his efforts to reduce federal spending.
Musk accused Trump of “ingratitude,” supported calls for Trump’s impeachment, and threatened to disrupt the US space program by grounding the Dragon spacecraft. Trump responded by saying Musk had “gone crazy,” attributing the falling-out to the termination of the ‘EV mandate’ – referring to federal incentives that had benefited Tesla. Musk then posted, but later deleted, a post linking Trump to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In an interview published by The New York Post on Wednesday, Trump stated “I have no hard feelings. But I was really surprised that that happened.”
He lauded the bill as “phenomenal” and expressed his disappointment with Musk’s reaction. “When he did that, I was not a happy camper.”
When asked if he could forgive Musk, Trump responded: “I guess I could,” and added that his current focus was on how to “straighten out the country.”
Hours before the interview was released, Musk seemed to express regret for his attacks on the president, posting on X that he regretted “some of my posts about President last week,” and that “They went too far.”
Musk did not specify which posts he was referring to. Reports suggest that individuals close to Musk and the White House are communicating privately in an attempt to de-escalate the situation.
When asked about the apology in a follow-up call with the Post on Wednesday morning, Trump commented: “I thought it was very nice that he (Musk) did that.”
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