Topline

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk speak about once a month after aides and allies worked to mend their feud following a very public falling out last year—but Trump acknowledges privately the relationship will never be the same, according to a new report.

Key Facts

Artificial intelligence, China and world events are frequent topics for Trump and Musk, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing unnamed sources familiar with their relationship.

The report details how the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Vice President JD Vance, among others, worked to rebuild the relationship, believing it was too important to lose.

Musk’s trip to China with Trump and other CEOs in May culminated the months-long effort, with Musk joining Trump on Air Force Once to Beijing, where the two discussed Musk’s plans to build new factories in the U.S., family and Musk’s plans to spend $100 million to elect Republicans in November, according to the Journal.

Both Musk and Trump face potential investigations led by Democrats if they retake control of Congress.

The White House defended Trump’s relationship with Musk to the Journal, telling the outlet that Trump “has built the greatest coalition in the history of American politics, full of patriots like Elon Musk who are deeply committed to preserving all of the historic accomplishments of this administration.”

Tangent

Musk told The Economist last month he thinks he “got a little too involved in politics, got carried away frankly.”

Key Background

Musk, after leading a cost-cutting effort in the Trump administration last year through his Department of Government Efficiency, publicly torched Republicans and the Trump administration after leaving his role. He bashed Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” and urged Republicans to kill it, and he criticized Trump’s sweeping tariffs. The feud turned personal when Musk called for Trump’s impeachment, threatened to start his own political party and publicly accused Trump of wanting to shield the administration’s records on Jeffrey Epstein. Musk later deleted his post linking Trump and Epstein and said he regretted some of his criticism of Trump. The two were next seen together at Charlie Kirk’s funeral in September last year.

further reading

Elon Musk’s Pay Influenced CEO Compensation To Record High, Report Says (Forbes)

Young Americans Don’t Trust Billionaire AI Leaders, New Poll Finds (Forbes)