By Kingsley June 11, 2025 — Billionaire Elon Musk appears to have regrets over his recent public feud with former U.S. President Donald Trump.
The spat between Musk and Trump intensified last week when Musk criticized Trump’s legislative efforts, calling one of his flagship bills a “disgusting abomination.” The insult reportedly shattered what remained of their former alliance and drew backlash from Trump and his supporters.
In retaliation, Trump threatened to terminate all government contracts with Musk’s companies—an action that could have massive financial consequences for the tech mogul.
Adding fuel to the fire, Musk tweeted (and later deleted) a claim that Trump is listed in the “Epstein files,” a reference to documents connected to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Musk alleged that this was the reason those documents had not been fully released.
Now, days later, Musk appears to be walking back his statements. In a tweet posted early Wednesday morning, he wrote, “I regret some of my posts” and admitted, “They went too far.”
It’s unclear which remarks Musk is specifically retracting, but the apology may reflect the immense political and financial power Trump still wields—even over one of the world’s richest men. While Musk’s Epstein claim has some basis—Trump has been mentioned in documents and seen in multiple photographs with Epstein—he has not been accused of wrongdoing.
Trump’s administration had awarded Musk’s businesses, including Tesla and SpaceX, substantial government support. Musk’s sudden change in tone suggests he is keen to preserve these relationships, particularly amid challenges. Tesla has recently reported falling sales, partly due to Musk’s polarizing political statements, and SpaceX faces obstacles with its Starship project.
Despite the turmoil, Trump seems open to reconciliation. “I think he feels very badly that he said that,” the former president told the New York Post, referring to Musk’s apology.
Just days earlier, Trump had warned in an NBC News interview that Musk would “pay very serious consequences” if he funded Democratic candidates.
As of now, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that “no efforts have been made” to review Musk’s government contracts.