Elon Musk says he regrets some of the tweets he posted about U.S. President Donald Trump last week.
The pair had a public falling-out after Musk criticized Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is expected to add $3.8 trillion, or more, to the federal deficit over the next decade.
Both launched hits at each other on their respective social media platforms, with Musk dropping a bombshell claim that Trump was named in the Epstein Files.
Highlights
- Elon Musk apologized for some of his tweets about President Trump, admitting he "went too far" in his criticism.
- Musk had deleted a tweet claiming Trump was named in the Epstein Files, which contain detailed allegations about Epstein's network.
- During the feud, Trump responded to Musk by threatening to end his government contracts.
Musk has publicly apologized for his tweets criticizing Trump
Image credits: The White House
In response, Trump threatened to end Musk’s government contracts and described him as “crazy.”
“I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week,” Musk posted on X on Wednesday. “They went too far.”
It comes after he appeared to delete his tweet accusing Trump of being in the Epstein Files, less than two days after he posted it.
The documents contain extensive information about Epstein’s sex trafficking network, including the names of associates, friends, and alleged participants, as well as flight logs, court depositions, victim testimonies, and details from multiple investigations.
The post read: “Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!”
During the 1990s and early 2000s, Trump and Epstein were known to associate socially, frequently appearing together at upscale gatherings in both Palm Beach and New York City.
At one point, Trump publicly described Epstein as a “terrific guy,” and noted his fondness for women, particularly those who were “on the younger side.”
Although there has been widespread public speculation, Trump has maintained that he was unaware of Epstein’s illegal conduct, before and after Musk's tweet.
Image credits: The White House
Trump has not publicly commented on Musk's apology as of yet, but his son, Barron Trump, replied to Musk on X.
"Takes courage to say this. Respect, Elon," he wrote.
The apology comes after stark criticism, with the whole feud kicking off after Musk left his special government advisor role at Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Musk and Trump had a public "breakup" last week
Musk had spent just under 130 days working to slash federal government spending and had taken issue with the hefty cost of Trump's Big Beautiful Bill, which is currently going through the Senate.
He described it as a “disgusting abomination” and said those who had voted for it knew they were wrong.
Trump, in response, said he asked Musk to leave DOGE because he was “wearing thin.”
“Elon was ‘wearing thin,’ I asked him to leave. I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY,” he posted on Truth Social.
Image credits: The White House
He followed this up by saying the easiest way to save cash was to cut Musk's government contracts.
“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” he wrote.
Trump also told reporters at the White House that Musk was lashing out because the EV mandate, a $7,500 tax incentive for electric vehicle (EV) buyers, had been scrapped.
“I’m very disappointed with Elon. I’ve helped him a lot,” Trump said.
“When that [the EV mandate] was cut and Congress wanted to cut it, he became a little bit different,” Trump added.
“He hasn’t said bad about me personally, but I’m sure that’ll be next.”
Musk hit back by claiming Trump would never have won the election without him and threatened to decommission SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, the only American craft that can transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
“In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately,” Musk wrote.
Musk's apology comes after Tesla stocks tanked during the fight
Image credits: The White House
But just hours later, he agreed the statement was a bit hasty.
Replying to a user on X who suggested that he and Trump take a break to cool down, Musk responded, “Good advice. Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon.”
The feud had a significant impact on Musk's Tesla, with stocks tanking 14% by the end of trading when the pair were fighting. It cost about $150bn in market value.
Musk's apology appears to be an attempt to de-escalate the feud that has had significant financial implications.