Elon Musk called Trump before posting regret over online feud; White House says US President ‘appreciates’ apology

Elon Musk positioned a telephone name to President Donald Trump late Monday, shortly before publicly expressing regret over a sequence of hostile social media posts focusing on the president, The New York Times and Reuters reported Wednesday.The Tesla and SpaceX CEO acknowledged on X that his posts had crossed a line. “I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far,” Musk wrote Wednesday on the platform he owns.In response, the White House signalled a doable softening of tone. “The president acknowledged the statement that Elon put out this morning, and he is appreciative of it,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt instructed reporters. She additionally confirmed that “no efforts” had been made to behave on Trump’s earlier menace to finish Musk’s federal contracts.The apology marks a notable shift in what had turn into an unusually private and public spat between two of essentially the most highly effective figures in American politics and enterprise. The feud escalated after Musk denounced Trump’s key home invoice as a “disgusting abomination” and urged Trump’s title was in unreleased Jeffrey Epstein information—a put up he later deleted.Trump lashed again by calling Musk “a big-time drug addict” and mocking his look throughout a latest Oval Office go to. Just final week, the president had stated he had no real interest in mending fences.But Musk’s latest actions—deleting provocative posts, mirroring Trump’s rhetoric on immigration and protests, and privately reaching out—point out an effort to de-escalate. Trump, for his half, has toned down his criticism, fuelling hypothesis of a possible reconciliation. Allies on each side have reportedly inspired them to maneuver previous the dispute.The stakes transcend private grievances. Musk is the Republican Party’s largest donor in 2024, contributing practically $275 million to Trump’s marketing campaign. At the identical time, Musk’s corporations rely closely on federal contracts—SpaceX alone secured $3 billion in 2023—leaving them weak to political fallout. Multiple federal companies are additionally at the moment investigating or suing Musk’s corporations.The rift started over coverage however rapidly turned private. After Musk’s harsh critique of Trump’s fiscal invoice, Trump urged pulling funding from Musk’s corporations to “save money.”Musk’s political engagement has additionally begun to take a toll on his enterprise fame. Tesla is dropping market share in key areas like Germany, Norway, France, and even the U.S., amid rising competitors and shopper backlash. The firm is anticipated to unveil its autonomous “Robotaxi” fleet in Austin, Texas, later this month.Meanwhile, SpaceX continues testing its formidable new rocket—touted as essentially the most highly effective ever constructed—however outcomes have been blended, including additional strain on Musk’s enterprise empire.