US President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk were seen together for the first time in months on Sunday, appearing to reconcile after an acrimonious public falling-out.
The two men reunited at the memorial service in Arizona for the late conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder, Charlie Kirk.
Trump and Musk were spotted in a private suite, deep in conversation. The official White House social media account posted a photo of the two men speaking. At one point, Trump was seen introducing Musk to Dana White, CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The meeting marks the first time Trump and Musk have been seen together in public since Musk's highly contentious departure from his role as a special government employee.
Trump appointed Musk as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) following his election victory last November. However, after Musk left that role, the two started feuding, particularly in wake of Musk's sharp criticism of Trump’s budget bill which Musk described as a “disgusting abomination.”
In response, President Trump reportedly threatened to revoke federal contracts awarded to Musk's companies, including SpaceX and Starlink. He also warned that if Musk supported Democratic candidates in the 2026 midterm elections, “he will pay the price.”
In a stunning real-time counter-response on X, Musk immediately refuted Trump’s claims. He denied any prior detailed knowledge of the agenda bill’s inner workings and reiterated that the removal of the EV tax credit was not the basis of his opposition.
Musk then escalated the feud, claiming that Trump and congressional Republicans would have lost the 2024 election without his support. He further engaged his followers by asking whether he should create a new political party.
In a particularly sensational claim, Musk asserted that the President is “in the Epstein files” and that this is the “real reason” those records have not been publicly released. Musk offered no evidence to support this claim and he subsequently deleted those posts.
Adding to the dramatic exchange, Musk publicly agreed with an X post advocating for President Trump’s impeachment and for Vice President JD Vance to succeed him.
Later, Musk published an apology for posts he wrote against Trump, admitting that the posts included phrases that were too harsh.