Latest news with #MuskTrumpFeud
Daily Mail
15-06-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE How JD Vance is embracing a new 'peacekeeper' role between Trump, Musk and other top advisors
As the battle between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump escalated on social media on Friday, the president pulled Vice President JD Vance aside to coordinate their response. Vance was preparing a trip to Nashville, Tennessee, for an interview with podcast comedian Theo Von, and wanted to be prepared for the proper response to Musk. While the president took a harder edge against Musk on social media and while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, he wanted the vice president to be more diplomatic, sources familiar with the exchange told the Daily Mail. By the time he entered the podcast studio in Nashville, however, the feud had escalated to new heights. As Von described it to Vance, 'the fu**ing s**t missile is in the cannon.' Von's audience was captivated as they watched Vance confronted in real time with posts from Musk declaring that Trump's name was in the Epstein files and even endorsed posts on X calling for Trump to be impeached to make him the president. Vance dismissed Musk's claim as 'totally BS' and affirmed he would remain loyal to the president first. At the same time, however, he praised Musk as 'incredible entrepreneur' and 'really good' even though he said it was a 'huge mistake' for him to go after the president that way. But the vice president was also optimistic that Musk could patch up his relationship with Trump. 'I hope that eventually Elon kind of comes back into the fold,' he said. Vance was puzzled by the exchanges but made excuses for Musk's behavior, describing him as 'an emotional guy' and whose 'heart is in the right place.' By Friday, Vance joined White House chief of staff Susie Wiles to speak with Musk to help smooth things over after the very public blowup. 'The last four months of my life I've probably had a hundred calls with Elon Musk,' he confirmed to reporters after Musk admitted publicly that some of his attacks on Trump had gone 'too far.' For Vance, a natural successor to Trump, it made sense to heal the relationship with the world's richest man if he ever wants to be president. But Vance indicated he really wanted to heal the relationship for the good of the country and for the good of his friend. 'I think that if he and the president are in some blood feud, most importantly it's going to be bad for the country but I…don't think it's going to be good for Elon either,' he said to Von. It was a rare display of diplomacy for the vice president, who spends a lot of his time on the global stage picking fights with journalists and politicians like Gavin Newsom on social media. But his longstanding relationship with Musk helped smooth over the very public blowup with the president. Vance first met Musk in June 2023, according to reports, as they were introduced by tech investor David Sacks, long before the native son of Ohio kicked off his political career by running for senate. Musk also reportedly supported Vance as his preferred candidate for Trump's running mate, describing him as the 'smartest' of the potential vice presidents. In the early days of the administration, Musk praised Vance on social media as the 'Best VP ever and our future President.' Vance began his vice presidency in a very public blowup during the Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky and famously scolded Europe for their failure to commit to free speech. His trip to Greenland was less than diplomatic, as he delivered the unpopular message to the island that it was time to team up with the United States. But in recent weeks, the vice president's job has required him to be more of a diplomat. On Tuesday, residents of Butte Montana was surprised to see Air Force Two land at their small airport and a motorcade for the vice president was spotted driving out into the country. As tensions between Iran and Israel escalated, Vance visited the Murdoch Ranch in Dillon Montana, roughly 70 miles south. Vance met with Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch and a group of other Fox News executives for dinner, according to reports. The diplomatic visit took place even after his political advisors chaffed as Murdoch's media outlets were highly critical of his political record in the Summer 2024 as President Trump was still ruminating on his choice for vice president. It was no secret that Murdoch wanted to see former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to be Trump's choice, as his media outlets spent significant resources criticizing Vance's anti-war views. The vice president's office did not respond to the Daily Mail's requests for comment. Although Vance's time in the Senate was short, he developed many relationships that have served the Trump administration well. His personal touch with his former senate colleagues helped sooth some of the concerns that they had with the president's more controversial picks for his cabinet. Prior to his departure for Montana, JD Vance traveled to Capitol Hill on Tuesday meet with Republican senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. Johnson was unhappy with the president's Big Beautiful Bill that was currently in negotiations with the Senate, but after Vance met wit the senator, the White House signaled they were more optimistic about getting him on board. Unlike the president's movements, Vance's schedule remains mostly private allowing him to have the flexibility to have private meetings and move more quickly with his travel. The job also runs into unexpected territory. Just weeks after visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his wife and children, Vance found himself contacting Modi to help ward off a war between Pakistan and India. In June, Vance also met with an all-party delegation from India to discuss ongoing tensions with Pakistan and possible business opportunities. Vance also met with political activist Laura Loomer, and although the contents of the meeting remained private, there were no political fireworks after the meeting, suggesting their exchange was cordial enough to stay out of the headlines. When the Papal conclave resulted in the election of Pope Leo XIV, an American, Trump asked Vance to lead the American delegation. Despite the pope's previous criticism of both Vance and Trump on social media, the delegation was successful as a smiling Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio posed for pictures with the American pontiff. Unlike many modern vice presidents who can go days without hearing directly from the president, Vance frequently communicates with Trump, people familiar with his interactions with the president say. Vance is careful about not stepping out ahead of the president, and remaining tactful in his communications about what he is thinking. His role as a jack-of-all trades vice president continues, as he continues his work confident that he has the president's trust. 'I know the president pretty well and I knew that he had a lot of trust in me, the role of the vice president is very derivative of what the president is doing,' Vance told Von while discussing his job. 'So if the president has trust in you and gives you a task and just lets you go and do it, that's kind of what your job is.'
Zawya
12-06-2025
- Automotive
- Zawya
Musk backtracks on Trump criticism after White House outreach
Billionaire businessman Elon Musk backed off digs he took at President Donald Trump after extensive outreach from administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, with Musk saying on Wednesday he had gone "too far." The Tesla and SpaceX CEO voiced regret after having launched an exchange of increasingly personal attacks last week on their respective social media sites by calling Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill a "disgusting abomination." In other remarks, he called it too expensive. The feud escalated to a point where Musk threatened to start a rival political party and suggested Trump be impeached. For investors, the open rift potentially posed multiple hurdles for Tesla, SpaceX and the rest of Musk's sprawling business empire, including Starlink, which depends heavily on its relationship with the U.S. and other governments. "I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too far," Musk wrote in a post on his social media platform X on Wednesday, without saying which specific posts he was talking about. He has deleted some of the posts, including the one signaling support for impeachment. He has not walked back his criticism of Trump's tax bill, however. Vance, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and David Sacks, Trump's crypto czar and a longtime Musk friend, all pushed for Musk and Trump to make up, said two people briefed on the conversations. Asked if he had helped defuse tensions between the two, Vance told reporters at the Kennedy Center that he had spoken with Musk and Trump about "trying to ensure that Elon is publicly supporting and privately supporting the president's agenda." He said Trump was "rightfully very frustrated" with about Musk's comments, but had no desire to be in a long-term feud with the billionaire and big campaign donor. One of the sources said Musk was serious about potentially starting a new party, a risk for Trump's Republicans going into the November 2026 midterm congressional elections. In the 2024 vote, Musk gave Republicans roughly $300 million, contributing to their sweep of the White House and both houses of Congress. On Friday, James Fishback, a Tesla investor and adviser to Musk's government cost-cutting effort, posted on X that the billionaire owed Trump "a full-throated apology." Musk retorted: "What's the apology for exactly?" Musk subsequently deleted several posts, and a senior Trump adviser called Fishback to thank him, according to one of the sources. Musk spoke to Trump on Monday, according to a White House source with knowledge of the matter. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday that Trump appreciated the apology. Asked if the administration was reviewing Musk's government contracts after Trump's threat last week to cancel them, Leavitt said she was not aware of any such efforts. TESLA CONCERNS Tesla shares were marginally lower on Wednesday. The stock has recouped most of its losses from the Trump-Musk feud, but shares are still down 19% on the year, equal to roughly $300 billion in market value. Sales of Tesla have fallen across key markets in Europe, China and U.S. states including California as car buyers shun the company following Musk's embrace of hard-right politics in the U.S. and worldwide. Musk is betting big on driverless technology to grow the company, but self-driving tech is in early stages and faces skepticism. An acrimonious relationship with Trump would risk more scrutiny of Musk's business practices, as the U.S. Transportation Department regulates vehicle design standards and would have a big say in whether Tesla can mass-produce robotaxis without pedals and steering wheels. "The conciliatory tone from Musk recently might indicate his desire to protect his businesses in the light of the position he has found himself in," said Mamta Valechha, consumer discretionary analyst at Tesla investor Quilter Cheviot. Shawn Campbell, adviser and investor at Camelthorn Investments, said the relationship between Musk and Trump could be restored but also said it was unlikely it would return to where it once was. "The stakes between the richest man in the world and leader of the most powerful nation in the world are just so big, with billions of dollars of government contracts at stake, not to mention the power to investigate and regulate and tax," said Campbell, who personally holds Tesla shares. Musk took credit for Republicans retaining a majority of seats in the House of Representatives and retaking a majority in the Senate with his cash infusion last year. Trump then named him to head an effort to downsize the federal workforce and slash spending. He left the role late last month. Declaring their relationship over on Saturday, Trump said there would be serious consequences if Musk decided to fund Democrats running against Republicans who vote for the tax and spending bill. Trump also said he had no intention of repairing ties with Musk. (Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer and Nandita Bose; Additional reporting by Jeff Mason, Rachael Levy, Arpan Daniel Varghese, Akash Sriram, Sruthi Shankar and Gursimran Kaur; Writing by David Gaffen, Gursimran Kaur and Timothy Heritage; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Howard Goller, Philippa Fletcher, Nick Zieminski and Lincoln Feast.)
News.com.au
11-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Musk regrets some of his Trump criticisms, says they 'went too far'
Elon Musk, the world's richest person and Donald Trump's former advisor, said Wednesday he regretted some of his recent criticisms of the US president, after the pair's public falling-out last week. "I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far," Musk wrote on his social media platform X, in a message that was received favorably by the White House. Musk's expression of regret came just days after Trump threatened the tech billionaire with "serious consequences" if he sought to punish Republicans who vote for a controversial spending bill. Their blistering break-up -- largely carried out on social media before a riveted public since Thursday last week -- was ignited by Musk's harsh criticism of Trump's so-called "big, beautiful" spending bill, which is currently before Congress. Some lawmakers who were against the bill had called on Musk -- one of the Republican Party's biggest financial backers in last year's presidential election -- to fund primary challenges against Republicans who voted for the legislation. "He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that," Trump, who also branded Musk "disrespectful," told NBC News on Saturday, without specifying what those consequences would be. Trump also said he had "no" desire to repair his relationship with the South African-born Tesla and SpaceX chief, and that he has "no intention of speaking to him." But after Musk's expression of regret, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump was "appreciative," adding that "no efforts" had been made on a threat by Trump to end some of Musk's government contracts. "The president acknowledged the statement that Elon put out this morning, and he is appreciative of it," Leavitt said. According to the New York Times, Musk's message followed a phone call to Trump late on Monday night. Vice President JD Vance and Chief of Staff Susan Wiles had also been working with Musk on how to broker a truce with Trump, the report said. - 'Wish him well' - In his post on Wednesday, Musk did not specify which of his criticisms of Trump had gone "too far." The former allies had seemed to have cut ties amicably about two weeks ago, with Trump giving Musk a glowing send-off as he left his cost-cutting role at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). But their relationship cracked within days, with Musk describing the spending bill as an "abomination" that, if passed by Congress, could define Trump's second term in office. Trump hit back at Musk's comments in an Oval Office diatribe and from there the row detonated, leaving Washington stunned. Trump later said on his Truth Social platform that cutting billions of dollars in subsidies and contracts to Musk's companies would be the "easiest way" to save the US government money. US media have put the value of the contracts at $18 billion. With real political and economic risks to their falling out, both already appeared to inch back from the brink on Friday, with Trump telling reporters "I just wish him well," and Musk responding on X: "Likewise." Trump had spoken to NBC on Saturday after Musk deleted one of the explosive allegations he had made during their fallout, linking the president with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of sex trafficking. bur-arp/aha
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Elon Musk bows to Trump: Tesla boss admits posts attacking the president 'went too far' in humiliating climb down after their spectacular feud
Elon Musk has said that he regrets some of the posts he made last week about Donald Trump in a humiliating climbdown from his online feud with the president. 'I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too far,' Musk wrote in a message on his social media platform X on Wednesday. He did not say which specific posts he was talking about. Tesla shares in Frankfurt were up 2.44% after Musk's post. Trump and Musk exchanged insults last week after the former DOGE boss described the president's sweeping tax and spending bill as a 'disgusting abomination.' A full spat exploded in public as Trump said his relationship with Musk was over, threatening to take away government funding from Musk's SpaceX company. But Musk doubled down, escalating with a now-deleted post that claimed the president appears in documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump rejected the allegations and told ABC News that Musk had 'lost his mind', making clear he has no immediate plans to reconcile. Musk has also since deleted a post signaling support for impeaching the president. Sources close to Musk had said his anger has started to subside, and that they believe he may want to repair his relationship with Trump. The abrupt volte-face comes after Trump threatened 'serious consequences' for Musk if he sought to punish Republicans voting in favour of the controversial spending bill. Some lawmakers who were against the bill had called on Musk to fund primary challenges against Republicans who voted for the legislation. Musk bankrolled a large part of Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. Trump named Musk to head an effort to downsize the federal workforce and slash spending. 'He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that,' Trump, who also branded Musk 'disrespectful,' told NBC News on Saturday, without specifying what those consequences would be. There were reports that said Trump planned to sell off the Tesla he purchased earlier this year. 'I haven't heard that, I mean, I may move the Tesla around a little bit,' Trump told reporters Monday. Musk's father said on Monday that the spat was triggered by months of intense stress on both sides, and that it needed to stop. Asked whether he thought his son had made a mistake by engaging in a public clash with the president, Errol Musk said people were sometimes unable to think as clearly as they should 'in the heat of the moment.' 'They've had five months of intense stress,' Musk told Reuters at a conference in Moscow organised by conservative Russian tycoons. Elon Musk was asked about The New York Times story during his May 30th going away event in the Oval Office alongside the president. He pushed back and mocked the newspaper for its 'Russiagate' coverage, but later denied the Times' report on his social media site, X 'With all the opposition cleared and two people left in the arena, all they have ever done is get rid of everything and now they are trying to get rid of each other - well that has to stop.' Asked how it would end, he said: 'Oh, it will end on a good note - very soon.' Musk's father told reporters he was standing by his son. 'Elon is sticking to his principles but you cannot always stick to your principles in the real world,' Musk's father said. 'Sometimes you have to give and take.' Trump has, in recent days, held back on criticising Musk and publicly wished him the best. On Monday, the president was asked about a New York Times report that said while campaigning for Trump, Musk had been doing so much ketamine it was affecting his bladder, while also taking Ecstasy and psychadelic mushrooms. Trump said: 'I really don't know, I don't think so, I hope not.' He then added, 'I wish him well ... I just wish him well, very well, actually.' He also said he'd keep Musk's Starlink system in place. Trump also said he never saw Musk get physical with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, which had also been alleged. 'No I didn't,' the president answered. 'They did have an argument, but I didn't see a lot of physicality there,' Trump said. Musk had roundly denied the allegations of drug use.
The Herald
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Herald
Elon Musk says he regrets some posts about Donald Trump
Billionaire Elon Musk said on Wednesday he regrets some posts he made last week about US President Donald Trump as they went 'too far'. Trump and Musk began exchanging insults on social media last week, with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO describing the president's sweeping tax and spending bill as a 'disgusting abomination'. Trump said on Saturday their relationship was over but has since said he would not have a problem if Musk called and wished him well. 'I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too far,' Musk wrote in a post on his social media platform X. He did not say which specific posts he was talking about. Tesla shares in Frankfurt were up 2.44% after Musk's post. Since the dispute began, Musk has deleted some social media posts critical of Trump, including one signalling support for impeaching the president. Sources close to Musk had said his anger has started to subside, and they believe he may want to repair his relationship with Trump. On Monday, Trump said he would not have a problem if Musk called and that he had no plans to discontinue the Starlink satellite internet provided to the White House by Musk's SpaceX but might move his Tesla off-site. 'We had a good relationship, and I wish him well,' Trump said. Musk responded with a heart emoji to a video on X showing Trump's remarks. Reuters
