Washington: Tech billionaire Elon Musk expressed remorse for his critical social media posts directed at U.S. President Donald Trump on June 11, 2025, suggesting the possibility of cooling off their highly publicised rivalry, which stemmed from a spending bill dispute.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, made an overture towards repairing his relationship with President Trump by stating on his social media platform X, “I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.” The apology was issued a week after intense online clashes that captivated both American political and technology circles.
The rift started when Musk, who resigned from his position as a Special Government Employee with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on May 29, 2025, lambasted Trump’s tax and spending proposal “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBB), branding it as a “disgusting abomination” which would bankrupt America. Trump hit back on Truth Social, branding Musk as “crazy” and threatening to cut off federal contracts with Musk’s companies.
Musk intensified the conflict by sharing now-deleted posts, one of which claimed Trump appears in Jeffrey Epstein’s files, a claim the White House dismissed as absurd. By June 9, Musk was softening his stance, deleting more inflammatory posts and resharing Trump’s criticism of California officials, suggesting Los Angeles had become a centre for protests, which indicated a move towards reconciliation.
Musk’s apology generated mixed reactions from different social media platforms. While Trump supporters on X commended the move, one user claimed, “This public apology means a lot. Not many apologise for disrespecting President Trump.” Other users expressed confusion and demanded, “Why did you post them?” Some users even went as far as to suggest the fight was orchestrated, as noted by this X post: “Told you the fight was staged.”
During an interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker on June 8, Trump voiced the opinion that it was time to move on from the relationship, saying Musk would face “grave consequences” if he backed Democrats in the 2026 midterms. Despite that, Musk’s heart emoji reply to a video where Trump expressed best wishes on June 9 suggested he is open to scaling back tensions.
Elon Musk’s father, Errol Musk, explained to Reuters that the public quarrel was caused by extreme stress and called for an immediate resolution to the conflict. Reportedly, some mutual friends like Bill Ackman and Kanye West acted as mediators and suggested a truce. Following Musk’s apology, Tesla shares increased by 2.7% in Frankfurt, indicating optimism regarding reduced tensions.
Musk’s apology, together with his deletion of controversial posts, signals a possible shift in his tumultuous relationship with Trump, raising prospects for a détente between two of the most powerful American figures. It is still ambiguous whether this will culminate in a full rapprochement; however, the reduction in hostilities could bring stability to the conflict and, subsequently, their influence on American politics, the technology sectors, and space programs which rely on companies owned by Musk.
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