Donald Trump and Elon Musk appear to have put their bitter social media feud behind them — at least for now — reopening lines of communication with a very specific goal in mind: the November midterm elections and what’s at stake for both men.
The rapprochement was sealed last May, when cabinet members, business executives, and members of the Trump family boarded Air Force One for a lengthy trip to China — and the billionaire entrepreneur was among them.
Trump and Musk’s reconciliation
According to people who were on the plane, the atmosphere between the two men was warm and friendly. The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX — who at the time was on the verge of becoming the world’s first trillionaire — spoke with the American president about plans to build new factories in the United States. Trump, for his part, brought up a rocket launch video he had recently watched and asked Musk about one of his young sons. Musk, together with White House advisers, also reminisced about his involvement in the 2024 presidential campaign.
Musk’s financial backing for Republicans
It was during this trip that Musk delivered the news Trump’s team had been waiting months to hear: he intended to provide financial support to Republicans in the November midterm elections. According to people familiar with the planning, as cited by the Wall Street Journal, Musk intends to commit at least $100 million to a major voter mobilization effort, with the goal of helping Republicans maintain control of Congress.
Behind-the-scenes calls, mutual friends, and White House events
The Air Force One moment was the culmination of nearly a year of efforts to repair the relationship between the two men, following the collapse of one of the most unusual political alliances in modern American history. The reconciliation effort involved back-channel phone calls, interventions by mutual friends, invitations to Mar-a-Lago, and events at the White House.
A tragic event also played a catalytic role: the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who in the months before his death had been actively working to mend the relationship between Trump and Musk.
Trump’s position
Despite the reconciliation, Trump is said to privately acknowledge that their relationship will never be as close as it once was. Nevertheless, the two now speak roughly once a month, discussing topics such as artificial intelligence, China, and global developments. The restored relationship serves both men’s interests. If Democrats were to win control of Congress, they would be poised to launch a series of investigations into Trump and his family. Musk could also find himself in the crosshairs — his companies depend heavily on highly lucrative government contracts.
The 2024 presidential campaign
Trump and Musk had developed a close relationship during the 2024 presidential campaign. After Trump’s return to the White House, Musk essentially took up residence at the presidential complex — spending several nights there — to oversee a sweeping effort to shrink the size of the federal government. His unorthodox approach, however, generated a steady stream of negative press coverage and resentment among Trump’s cabinet members, who felt they should have greater control over their own agencies.
June 2025: when things spiraled out of control
The situation boiled over in June 2025, when behind-the-scenes tensions erupted into an open online war. “Time to drop the really big bomb,” Musk wrote to his 240 million followers on X, claiming that Trump’s name appeared in investigative files related to Jeffrey Epstein and that this was “the real reason they haven’t been released.”
Trump fired back via Truth Social, threatening to cancel government contracts with Musk’s companies. He also accused the entrepreneur of opposing the administration’s flagship tax and spending bill because it eliminated incentives for electric vehicles.
“Without me, Trump would have lost the election”
Musk had called the bill a “disgusting abomination,” arguing it would drive America’s national debt even higher. “Without me, Trump would have lost the election,” Musk wrote — a man who had spent nearly $300 million to help secure Trump’s re-election in 2024. “Such ingratitude.”
Publicly, the White House attempted to downplay Musk’s attacks, dismissing them as an “unfortunate episode.” Behind the scenes, however, senior administration officials moved quickly to patch things up.
The acknowledgment
Just one day after the public confrontation, Vice President JD Vance and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles quietly reached out to Musk in a bid to de-escalate tensions. The conversation went well, according to sources, and early the following week Musk himself called Trump. He followed up with a social media post in which he expressed regret over some of his comments, admitting he had “crossed a line.”
It would still take several more months for the relationship to be meaningfully restored. In September, Trump told a senior White House official that he was not yet ready to bring Musk back into his inner circle. Vance played a central role in the process, keeping lines of communication open with the Tesla chief and his associates.
The peace offering
A significant “peace offering” came when Musk abandoned his plans to create a new political party. According to people familiar with the discussions, one of the reasons was his desire to maintain a good relationship with Vance, who is considered a likely presidential contender in 2028. Vance believed Musk was too important to ignore. A permanent rupture could have serious consequences, given the critical role SpaceX contracts play in U.S. defense and national security.
Heightened concerns
Anxiety had reached a peak when, at the height of his feud with Trump, Musk threatened to cut off support for missions to the International Space Station. A government review of SpaceX’s federal contracts launched in the wake of the fallout found that most of them were critical to the Pentagon and NASA. Since then, the company has become even more deeply embedded in America’s defense infrastructure.
The contribution of Trump’s son
Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., also helped facilitate the reconciliation, having maintained a friendly relationship with Musk throughout the dispute. The venture capital firm 1789 Capital, with which he is associated, made investments in xAI, SpaceX, and Neuralink.
Charlie Kirk also played an important role, having worked to reconcile the two men even as their feud was playing out publicly.
After Kirk’s assassination in September, Trump and Musk both attended his memorial service at a stadium in Arizona. Musk approached Trump’s suite and the two had a brief exchange. As Musk walked away, the president gave him a friendly touch on the elbow. That same evening, Musk posted a photo from their conversation with just two words: “For Charlie.”
Key personnel changes
Two significant personnel changes also helped ease tensions. Musk had repeatedly clashed at the White House with longtime Trump ally Sergio Gor. In August, Trump appointed Gor as U.S. Ambassador to India, effectively removing him from the Washington orbit. Then in November, Trump made another striking move, reinstating Musk ally Jared Isaacman as NASA Administrator — a decision the billionaire deeply appreciated.
When the relationship warmed again
That same month, Musk returned to the White House for a dinner Trump hosted in honor of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In recent months, Trump has once again begun praising Musk publicly, and when the entrepreneur officially became a trillionaire, the president sent him a personal congratulatory message.
The most tangible proof of their reunion, however, is now coming to light. Musk is planning to fund America PAC — the political action committee he created to support Trump in 2024 — committing at least $100 million to voter mobilization efforts in key battleground states ahead of the midterm elections.
“I got a bit carried away, to be honest”
America PAC will work alongside MAGA Inc., Trump’s primary super PAC, which already holds more than $400 million in funds. This time around, however, Musk has signaled that he does not intend to be as visible a presence as he was during the 2024 presidential race and his high-profile tenure at DOGE. “I think I got a little too involved in politics,” he said last month, adding: “I got carried away, to be honest.”
