When Tesla and Space X Chief Elon Musk boarded Air Force One for a long flight to China in May, it was a sign that his falling-out with US President Donald Trump was maybe becoming a thing of the past.
Cabinet secretaries, business executives and members of Trump’s family were already aboard when Musk joined them. Nearly a year earlier, Musk had publicly declared war on the president. But on the flight to Beijing, the two men appeared to be getting along again, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
During the flight, Musk told Trump about plans to build new factories in the US. Trump spoke about a space launch video he had recently watched and asked about one of Musk’s young sons. Musk also chatted with White House advisers about the fun he had during the 2024 presidential campaign.
Then Musk said he planned to help Republicans in the November midterm elections and that he intended to spend at least $100 million on a voter-turnout operation designed to help Republicans hold on to Congress.
However, the moment was the culmination of months of efforts to repair the political alliance.
From Trump’s Biggest Backer To His Biggest Critic
Trump and Musk had become unusually close during the 2024 campaign. Musk spent nearly $300 million helping Trump return to the White House.
After Trump took office, Musk moved into the White House complex at times and took charge of DOGE, helping the president pursue sweeping cuts to the federal government.
But Musk’s aggressive approach angered members of Trump’s Cabinet, who believed Musk was interfering too heavily in their agencies.
For weeks, Trump continued to insist that the relationship remained strong, but in June, it all fell apart.
During the height of their public fight, Musk told his 240 million X followers, “Time to drop the really big bomb”.
He claimed Trump had been named in the Jeffrey Epstein investigative files and added, “That is the real reason they have not been made public.”
Trump responded through Truth Social, threatening to cancel Musk’s government contracts. He also accused Musk of opposing a major tax-and-spending bill because it removed incentives for electric vehicles.
Musk called the legislation a “disgusting abomination” and argued that it would add to America’s debt.
He then took another shot at Trump, saying that without him, the Republican leader “would have lost the election”.
He added, “Such ingratitude.”
The Quiet Effort To Make Peace
The White House publicly dismissed the confrontation as an “unfortunate episode”.
Privately, however, senior officials were already trying to stop the relationship from completely collapsing.
Just one day after the public fight, Vice President JD Vance and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles reached out to Musk.
Musk then called Trump early the following week and then subsequently posted on social media that he regretted some of his remarks and acknowledged that he had gone too far.
But Trump said in September that he was not ready to bring Musk back into his inner circle yet.
Vance nevertheless continued working to keep the lines open. He stayed in contact with Musk and his allies and believed Musk was too important a figure to simply cut loose.
SpaceX has major contracts with the US government, including work considered critical to the Pentagon and NASA. During the feud, Musk even threatened to cut off support for missions to the International Space Station, triggering alarm at NASA.
A government review of SpaceX contracts launched after the Trump-Musk fight found that most of them were considered critical to the Defence Department and NASA.
Since then, SpaceX has become even more deeply embedded in the US national-security system.
Vance played another important role. Late last summer, Musk abandoned plans to create a new political party, partly because he wanted to preserve his relationship with Vance, according to the report.
Charlie Kirk’s Death
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk had also been trying to bring Trump and Musk back together.
People close to Kirk said he had been communicating with Musk as the feud became public. Kirk was later shot and killed in September.
Trump and Musk both attended a memorial for him at an Arizona football stadium.
Musk was seen walking over to Trump’s stadium box, and he also spoke with him. Trump patted Musk on the elbow as he left.
That night, Musk posted a photograph of himself speaking with Trump.
“For Charlie,” he wrote.
Personnel Changes Helped Too
Musk had repeatedly clashed with Trump aide Sergio Gor. During one meeting early in Trump’s second term, the president complained that DOGE was moving too slowly on certain initiatives.
Musk blamed Gor, who was responsible for vetting administration appointments. Trump subsequently berated Gor, the report mentioned.
Last August, Trump appointed Gor as US ambassador to India, taking him thousands of miles away from Washington.
Then in November, Trump reversed course and reappointed Jared Isaacman, a Musk ally, to lead NASA. Isaacman had previously been ousted in June during the height of the Musk-Trump feud.
Musk appreciated the move, the report stated.
In November, Musk returned to the White House for a dinner hosted by Trump for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Trump has also increasingly praised Musk in public. After Musk became a trillionaire, the president sent him a congratulatory note.
Currently, Musk and Trump are talking again roughly once a month. They discuss artificial intelligence, China and major world events.
But privately, Trump has told aides that he does not expect the relationship to ever become as close as it was before the feud.
For the midterms, Musk plans to donate to America PAC, the group he created to support Trump-aligned efforts during the 2024 election. He is expected to spend at least $100 million on a get-out-the-vote operation in key states.
But Musk is signalling that voters should not expect a repeat of his highly visible role in the last election or his chaotic DOGE tenure.
“I think I got a little too involved in politics,” Musk told the Economist last year.
“Got carried away, frankly.”
