President Donald Trump said Friday he is ready to turn the page on trying to make amends with Elon Musk, telling reporters he hasn't been thinking about the feud that was sparked by the tech billionaire's criticisms of the reconciliation budget legislation.
"There are efforts," Trump told reporters on board Air Force One about work to repair their relationship, The Hill reported. "But I'm not really interested in that. I'm really interested in the country solving problems, including war problems in very faraway lands."
When asked for his opinion on Musk, Trump said he has been busy working on international issues and that he hasn't thought about the former head of the Department of Government Efficiency.
"Honestly, I've been so busy working on China, working on Russia, working on Iran … I'm not thinking about Elon Musk," Trump said. "I just wish him well."
The White House dismissed reports of a potential call between Trump and Musk to reconcile, The Hill reported, a week after Musk's term as a special government employee in charge of DOGE ended. Since his exit, Musk has criticized the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the signature legislation of Trump's second term, as a "disgusting abomination" for adding trillions of dollars to the federal deficit, not cutting enough spending, as well as phasing out by 2026 the tax credit of up to $7,500 given to buyers of electric vehicles, which could be crucial to the success of Musk's Tesla.
After he raised the idea of canceling federal contracts and subsidies for Musk's companies while sparring with him on social media, Trump said he would be looking at the contracts Musk has with the government.
"We'll take look at everything," he said, adding that he will only act if it's "fair for him and the country."
"The U.S. can survive without almost anybody … except me," Trump said when pressed on how the U.S. would fare without the contracts, adding that he hopes Musk "does well with Tesla."
There reportedly had been some signs of a détente between Trump and Musk, with Trump saying Thursday that "it's OK" when asked about the war of words that flared between them.
Musk also appeared agreeable Thursday night to ease the tension, after billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman posted on X, which Musk owns: "I support @realDonaldTrump and @elonmusk and they should make peace for the benefit of our great country."
"You're not wrong," Musk replied.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.