President Donald Trump has privately admitted he was hurt by Elon Musk after their nuclear fallout, according to a new report.
The two men had a tight relationship when Trump tapped the centibillionaire to oversee DOGE, an ultimately ill-fated attempt to cull government spending. It wasn’t long before the relationship went badly awry, culminating in Musk saying Trump’s name was all over the Epstein files and “that is the real reason they have not been made public.”
The world watched on as the two men publicly traded withering barbs and the mutually beneficial relationship—Trump needs Musk’s money, and Musk needs government contracts—looked dead.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that a detente was reached, largely due to back-channel efforts by Vice President JD Vance and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. And just like that, the hatchet was buried. But only partially.
“Privately, Trump says he and Musk will never be as close as they once were, according to the president’s aides,” the journal said.
It also reported that Musk is planning to save Trump, whose approval ratings are in the gutter ahead of the midterms. He plans to spend at least $100 million through a PAC on a voter-turnout scheme.
This was first reported by Axios in July. That report said the world’s richest man, who is no longer a trillionaire according to Forbes, is reviving his dormant fundraising organization, America PAC, which will invest heavily in door-knocking, digital advertising, and direct mail aimed at energizing conservative voters who are less likely to cast ballots in off-years.
James Blair, Trump’s senior political adviser, told Axios that America PAC was an “essential partner for our historic GOTV operation in 2024, and their return for 2026 is a huge boost for Republicans across the country.”
Even still, the thin-skinned president has not forgotten their bust-up. Aides close to the president told the Journal that he still ruminates on the ugly scenes and has suggested that whilst he is willing to accept Musk’s financial help, the two men will never be as close as they once were.
But, like divorced parents with their children in mind, they are talking again. Tentatively, just once a month, according to people with knowledge of the phone calls where they apparently discuss only work: China, world events, and artificial intelligence.
A statement from the White House reads positively for Musk. A spokesperson told the Journal that Trump “has built the greatest coalition in the history of American politics, full of patriots like Elon Musk who are deeply committed to preserving all of the historic accomplishments of this administration.”
However, Trump never forgets. He has a litany of long-running feuds that, at any given moment, he can resurrect. Musk also has an ego. He accused the president of “such ingratitude” after their fallout.
“Without me, Trump would have lost the election,” he said on X, the social media platform he owns. He spent nearly $300 million to help re-elect the president in 2024.
The White House and representatives for Musk have been contacted for comment.
