Trump Was ‘Amazed’ Musk Endorsed Him for President Despite Tesla Conflict
Days after their falling out, the president also described his former DOGE chief as a “friend”.
Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump has revealed he was “amazed” Elon Musk endorsed him to become president, given his longstanding plans to scrap electric vehicle subsidies.
One week after their nuclear breakup, Trump also softened significantly on his former First Buddy, describing him on Thursday as a “friend of mine” who “got a bit strange” in recent weeks.
Just three months ago, in March, President Trump purchased a red Tesla in a show of support for Musk, then his right-hand man. Top officials now say he's planning to sell it.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
The president made his comments during a signing ceremony at the White House in which he quashed plans by California Governor Gavin Newsom to phase out gas-guzzling cars by 2035 in order to encourage more people to buy EVs.
Speaking to a room full of Cabinet members and auto-industry chiefs, Trump repeated his claim that Musk had turned on him because the so-called “big, beautiful bill” would kill most credits for electric vehicles at the end of the year, disqualifying Teslas from a $7500 incentive created under the Biden administration.
But Trump told the audience that Musk always knew he wanted to scrap the EV policies of the Biden administration, yet never told him it was a problem until their social media blow-up last week.
“I used to say I’m amazed that he’s endorsing me because that can’t be good for him; I’m abolishing the EV mandate,” Trump recalled.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
“And I once asked him about it… and he said, ‘Well, as long as it’s happening to everybody, I’ll be able to compete’."
“It was really strange, you know. I’m with him, he’s a friend of mine and he makes electric cars, and we’re saying ‘you’re not going to be… forced to make all of those cars… And that’s what he said: ‘As long as I’m on the same plane as everyone else, we’re going to do good and make a better product. I said that’s very cool.
“After that, he got a little bit strange,” Trump added, prompting a few laughs.
"Now I know why Elon doesn't like me so much."
— ABC News (@ABC) June 12, 2025
President Trump says Elon Musk he was "amazed" that Musk endorsed him despite Trump's plan to block California's EV mandate. https://t.co/wo8DvZtgZK pic.twitter.com/bP1PnkTg10
The remarks came days after the president and the world’s richest man traded barbs over everything from who should get credit for Trump’s election victory to whether the government should keep Musk’s SpaceX contracts.
But things took an ugly turn when Musk told his 220-million plus followers on X that Trump was named in the files of child sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein, prompting a swift MAGA backlash.
He has since apologised to the president, both publicly and privately, and deleted several of the tweets attacking him.
“I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far,” Musk wrote on X this week.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.