Elon Musk called Donald Trump before expressing 'regret' for harsh attacks
WASHINGTON ― Elon Musk reached out and talked privately to President Donald Trump by phone before the billionaire entrepreneur and former White House adviser expressed regret publicly for his harsh personal attacks on the president.
Reuters confirmed the June 10 evening phone call, citing a White House source with knowledge of the matter, after The New York Times first reported the exchange. It marked the first time the Tesla and SpaceX CEO and Trump have spoken since their alliance shattered during an epic feud last week.
Hours after talking to Trump, Musk apologized for inflammatory social media posts he directed at Trump when the two men went back and forth last week in their combative war of words.
"I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far," Musk said in a 3:04 a.m., June 11 post on X, without specifying which posts he was sorry about.
The White House would not confirm or deny Musk's call to Trump, which came as Musk has taken steps to restore his strained relationship with Trump.
Musk this month left his White House role leading the Department of Government Efficiency, which spent the first four-plus months of Trump's second term working to drastically slash government programs and gut the federal workforce. Trump hosted a friendly send-off for Musk before the two men later turned against each other.
Over the weekend, Musk deleted his most salacious X post about Trump ‒ an accusation that Trump's name is mentioned in classified files related to the financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Musk also deleted a post he made during the feud endorsing Trump's impeachment.
At the same time, Musk has enthusiastically applauded Trump's deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles to squelch protests that erupted over the administration's ICE raids.
Musk's efforts to mend fences with Trump follow a phone call Vice President JD Vance and Susie Wiles, Trump's chief of staff, made to Musk on June 6, the Wall Street Journal and Axios reported. Vance and Wiles urged Musk to end the fighting.
Musk has since tamped down his loud criticism of Trump's tax and policy megabill, which the president has dubbed his "big, beautiful bill." Musk's relentless attacks on the legislation ‒ which the Tesla and SpaceX CEO called a "disgusting abomination" ‒ became the main catalyst behind the fight between Trump and Musk that unfolded last week.
Trump has also softened his tone with Musk. "I was disappointed in him. But it is what it is," Trump said in a podcast hosted by New York Post columnist Miranda Devine released June 11. "Things like that happen. I don't blame him for anything."
Contributing: Reuters
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.