Washington D.C. / New Delhi: In a candid television interview, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, a long-time friend of President Donald Trump, weighed in on the President’s recent, brief public reunion with tech billionaire Elon Musk and defended the administration’s controversial tightening of the H-1B work visa program.
Lutnick, who is considered one of Trump’s closest aides, was asked on Sunday by US channel News Nation whether the President would fully mend his strained relationship with his former “best friend,” Elon Musk. The question followed an unexpected interaction between the two at the memorial service for far-right activist Charlie Kirk on September 21, 2025, in Glendale, Arizona.
The Trump-Musk Relationship: Forgive, but Not Forget
While the memorial service, which was broadcast publicly, showed a moment of dialogue between Trump and Musk—the first time they had been seen together since their highly public fallout—Lutnick cautioned against expecting a full reconciliation.
“He’s a very kind person, so he’s going to forgive Elon. Will he forget? No, he doesn’t forget,” Lutnick stated. He elaborated on the President’s approach to personal and political relationships, drawing on their three-decade-long friendship.
“I think Donald Trump is a really kind person. The media just don’t see him, but I’ve been friends with President Trump for over 30 years… So he’s going to be kind and he’s going to be warm, as he is as a person, but do I think it’s going to go back to being lovey-dovey? No.”
Lutnick suggested that Musk had initially earned the President’s high regard but then severely damaged the relationship. “I think Elon Musk had really earned the president’s friendship and admiration. Then in his departure, he expressed a part of himself that was very negative, and I don’t think the President’s going to forget that negativity.”
The fallout between the two began over Musk’s criticism of a government financial bill—dubbed Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’—which led to Musk publicly exiting his advisory role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Defending the H-1B Visa Crackdown
The interview also touched upon the stark policy differences between Musk, a vocal proponent of the H-1B visa, and the Trump administration, which recently moved to severely curb the program with a new mandate. This new measure includes a staggering $100,000 fee for new H-1B petitions—which primarily benefit Indian tech professionals—along with plans for stricter regulations and prevailing wage increases.
Musk’s companies, including Tesla and SpaceX, are known to employ a significant number of H-1B visa holders, making his support for the program a critical counterpoint to the administration’s stance. However, Musk has remained notably silent on the new fee hike.
Secretary Lutnick defended the administration’s restrictive policy, reiterating the argument that the program should only be utilized for the most highly-skilled workers.
“I think we should only give jobs highly skilled jobs to the most highly skilled people,” Lutnick said. He continued, expressing a strong personal view that aligned with the President’s action: “The idea of having tech consultants and trainees who are inexpensive should be eliminated. I have a strong opinion. I think the President is right with me on those same topics.”
The administration’s move to raise the fee and impose stricter rules is part of an effort to discourage companies from using the H-1B visa program to hire foreign workers at lower wages, thus allegedly protecting American jobs.