The shaky détente in the social media strife between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk is holding following a call between representatives for both sides Friday, according to two White House officials.
“He’s stopped posting, but that doesn’t mean he’s happy,” one of the officials said about Trump’s Truth Social hiatus with Musk.
“The future of their relationship is totally uncertain,” added the official, who was granted anonymity to speak freely. Both men have paused their war of words that included Musk suggesting the president be impeached and Trump threatening to cut off federal contracts for the billionaire’s companies. But neither wanted to, according to the two officials familiar with the reaction of both men.
A spokesperson for Musk did not return a message seeking comment.
Trump was particularly peeved by Musk insinuating the president was tied to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, claiming Trump was “in the Epstein files.” It’s long been public that Trump and other prominent figures are referenced in documents released in court cases surrounding Epstein, though Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing linked to Epstein. But Musk’s boast that Trump couldn’t have won without his support, including over a quarter-billion dollars in political contributions – is what really set the president spinning, the two officials continued.
“Such ingratitude,” Musk wrote on X after taking credit from Trump’s victory in November.
The feud came as the president and Republican leaders tried to shoulder through a major package of domestic policy legislation, which could be the biggest legislative achievement of Trump’s second term. Musk criticized the so-called megabill for having a “MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK.”
When reached for comment, press secretary Karoline Leavitt told POLITICO, “As President Trump has said himself, he is moving forward focused on passing the One Big Beautiful Bill.”
The relationship began to sour before the dueling social media posts erupted last week. Trump was upset about what he saw as Musk overselling DOGE’s inability to make massive cuts in the federal bureaucracy. Then the White House pulled the nomination for Jared Isaacman, the billionaire’s pick to lead NASA, which was one of the final tethers in a tenuous alliance.
White House personnel director Sergio Gor, who was behind that move, has had a long-simmering tension with the billionaire, according to both White House officials.
Musk refused to work with Gor after a March Cabinet meeting where the president told his agency heads they were in charge of their departments — not Musk, who was in the room.
That meeting happened after the Tesla founder set off a series of mass firings and warnings to government workers that in turn triggered lawsuits and criticism from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers.
While most lawmakers and Republican operatives agree that Trump ultimately has the upper hand should their feud reignite, there’s never been an adversary quite like Musk: the world’s richest man with an online megaphone to rival the presidential bully pulpit.
