Trump-Musk feud shows signs of thawing
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk and President Trump at the White House in May. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
President Trump and Elon Musk struck more conciliatory tones on Thursday night, hours after their feud ignited and then escalated over social media.
The big picture: After a day that was marked by Trump threatening to cancel billions of dollars of government contracts with Musk's companies and the world's richest person calling for the president's impeachment, there are signs that tensions between them might be easing.
Driving the news: White House aides scheduled a call between the pair for Friday, per Politico, which spoke briefly to Trump in a Thursday night phone interview.
- Trump sought to reassure the outlet about their relationship during the brief phone call, per Politico. "Oh it's okay," he said when asked about the fallout. "It's going very well, never done better."
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Fox News' "Hannity" Thursday evening that the focus of the president and his administration was "on passing the one big, beautiful bill," which Musk called a "disgusting abomination" in the leadup to his online clash with Trump.
- Leavitt noted to Fox News' Sean Hannity that last Friday, "the president graciously hosted Elon Musk in the Oval Office and Elon thanked the president for his incredible leadership to cut waste, fraud and abuse in our government, which this one big, beautiful bill does."
- She added: "So the only difference between Friday and today is Elon went back to his companies. And, as a businessman, he has a right to speak for his companies. But as president, President Trump has a responsibility to fight for this country."
Meanwhile, Musk appeared to walk back an earlier threat he made on X to decommission the Dragon spacecraft, which is essential to NASA's operation.
- After an X user on Thursday night called the "back and forth" between Musk and Trump "a shame" and suggested they cool off and "take a step back for a couple days," the Tesla CEO responded: "Good advice. Ok, we won't decommission Dragon."
More from Axios:
- Trump and Musk lose billions as feud spooks investors
- Musk becomes GOP pariah after "ridiculous" Trump attacks
- "Such ingratitude": How much money Musk funneled into the 2024 election
Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
