Elon Musk has openly stated that he regrets some of the remarks he made about President Donald Trump during their recent social media spat. "I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too far," Musk wrote on his platform X. This statement follows a turbulent exchange between the tech billionaire and the U.S. president, which escalated when Musk labeled Trump's tax bill a "disgusting abomination."
Trump had previously announced that their relationship was irreparable and expressed no desire to rekindle their ties. The controversial tax legislation, which comprises significant tax reductions and an increase in defense spending, was approved by the House of Representatives the previous month and is awaiting further evaluation from the Senate.
Musk has urged his followers to contact their congressional representatives to oppose the bill, warning it could lead to an economic downturn later in the year. He also made unsubstantiated claims suggesting Trump is mentioned in undisclosed documents regarding the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, to which the White House responded dismissively.
In response, Trump described Musk's behavior as erratic, suggesting he would consider revoking government contracts worth approximately $38 billion that are crucial to Musk's space venture, SpaceX. "It's a very bad thing, because he's very disrespectful. You could not disrespect the office of the president," Trump remarked in an NBC interview.
Following the fallout, Musk deleted many of his critical posts regarding Trump, including one advocating for the president's impeachment. Musk, who was previously a major donor for Trump's 2024 campaign and was viewed as a close ally, has faced backlash, with former Trump advisor Steve Bannon going as far as calling for Musk's deportation to South Africa.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance expressed hope that Musk might reconcile with Trump, although he acknowledged the challenges, remarking that Musk had gone "nuclear" in their dispute. The discord between the two figures unfolded just after Musk's brief tenure in the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), which lasted only 129 days.
