Elon Musk issued a public apology to President Trump late Tuesday after launching a stunning attack last week that included explosive claims about Jeffrey Epstein files and threats of impeachment.
“I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week,” the 53-year-old Musk wrote on X. “They went too far.”
Trump responded positively to the olive branch Wednesday morning, telling The New York Post in a brief phone conversation, “I thought it was very nice that he did that,” though he stopped short of saying whether he was ready to fully reconcile with his former “First Buddy.”
The apology caps a dramatic week-long public fight that began when Musk unleashed a furious posting spree Thursday criticizing Trump’s policies and personal character. During the exchange, Musk claimed “Without me, Trump would have lost the election” and agreed with posts suggesting Trump should be “impeached” and replaced with Vice President JD Vance.
Most explosively, Musk dropped what he called the “really big bomb” that truly ignited their feud.
“Time to drop the really big bomb: Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!” Musk posted on X.
The allegation referenced Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced billionaire sex offender who died under mysterious circumstances in 2019 while awaiting federal sex trafficking charges. Trump and Epstein were former acquaintances, but in 2004 had a falling out over Eptein’s behavior that saw him banned from Trump’s private clubs.
Trump shrugged off Musk’s claims, calling the allegations “old news” and saying “Epstein’s lawyer said I had nothing to do with it.”
The feud erupted after Musk denounced the administration’s sweeping “Big Beautiful Bill,” chastising it as an “outrageous, pork-filled” spending bill and a “disgusting abomination” while urging Republicans to “kill” it.
Trump fired back at his former ally with characteristic fury, calling Musk “crazy” and saying he had “lost his mind.” The president accused Musk of having “Trump Derangement Syndrome” and suggested he was bitter about leaving the White House after his role overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) federal cost-cutting task force.
“I’m not even thinking about Elon. He’s got a problem,” Trump told CNN on Friday. “The poor guy’s got a problem.”
Trump also threatened to revoke federal government contracts with Musk’s companies, which could significantly impact Tesla and SpaceX operations.
Musk, who pumped over $250 million into Trump’s 2024 campaign, had been arguably the most influential person in Trump’s inner circle for months before their sudden and unexpected fallout.
Signs of reconciliation began emerging Monday when Musk first signaled the feud might be cooling. The breakthrough came after Trump expressed openness to patching things up, telling reporters at the White House, “We had a great relationship and I wish him well — very well, actually.”
Musk responded by posting a heart emoji to the comment, setting the stage for his formal apology.
Trump told Post columnist Miranda Devine he doesn’t “blame” Musk for the blowup but remained “a little disappointed” by the attacks.
“Look, I have no hard feelings,” Trump said in a Monday interview. “I was really surprised that that happened. He went after a bill that’s phenomenal. …He just — I think he feels very badly that he said that, actually.”
Musk has since deleted several of his more scathing posts, including the one alleging Trump’s name appears in Epstein files.
When asked whether he would ever return to normal relations with Musk, Trump told the “Pod Force One” podcast, “I guess I could, but we have to straighten out the country. And 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 Justice Department has vowed to release files related to Epstein, but so far has only released documents that were previously public knowledge.
Trump dismissed the significance of any potential revelations, telling reporters that “nothing surprises him” anymore.
Musk’s walk-back represents the clearest sign yet that he may be trying to smooth things over and revive their fractured alliance. The South Africa-born tech titan has been resharing Trump’s Truth Social posts to show solidarity with the president amid ongoing riots in Los Angeles.