Washington DC [US], July 12: US President Donald Trump has responded to Elon Musk’s recent apology over their public feud, calling it “very nice” and indicating a willingness to move forward. The comments came during an interview with the New York Post’s debut podcast episode, Pod Force One.
“I have no hard feelings,” Trump said when asked about Musk’s recent admission that his social media attacks on the President had gone too far. “I was really surprised that that happened. He went after a bill that’s phenomenal… I think he feels very badly that he said that, actually.”
The rift between the two high-profile figures emerged last week when Musk, who previously held a White House role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), criticized a major domestic policy bill introduced by Trump, labeling it a “disgusting abomination.”
The fallout escalated when Musk, 53, took to X (formerly Twitter), writing, “I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.”
CNN had earlier reported that Musk called Trump directly on Monday night, following a discussion between Vice President JD Vance, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Musk over the weekend in an attempt to ease tensions.
Trump, reflecting on Musk’s role, noted, “I guess I could [return to a regular relationship with him], but we have to straighten out the country first. My sole function now is getting this country back to a level higher than it’s ever been. And I think we can do that.”
The conflict intensified when Musk claimed that Trump would not have won the 2024 election without his support, and accused the President of covering up files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In response, Trump publicly slammed Musk, saying he had “lost his mind” and threatened to cancel federal contracts with Musk’s companies—valued at approximately USD 38 billion.
“He’s very disrespectful. You could not disrespect the office of the president,” Trump had said in an earlier interview with NBC.
In the background, Republican lawmakers and prominent Trump allies reportedly reached out to Musk, urging him to reconcile with the President and back his domestic agenda.
As tensions ease, political observers will be watching whether Musk returns to Trump’s inner circle—or whether the rift leaves a lasting mark.