Elon Musk listens as reporters ask President Donald Trump questions in the Oval Office at the White House on May 21 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Elon Musk Expresses Regret Over Social Media Attacks on Trump After Private Calls and Political Outreach

Elon Musk has publicly expressed regret for a series of social media posts targeting former President Donald Trump, following a week of escalating tensions and a flurry of behind-the-scenes efforts by top Republican allies to broker peace between the two billionaires.

According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, Musk and Trump spoke briefly by phone on Monday night, marking the first direct contact between the two since their highly publicized fallout last week. The call came after Vice President JD Vance and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles reached out to Musk on Friday, engaging in a conversation that focused on the feud and the political stakes surrounding it.

In the days following these calls, Musk began to walk back his most critical online statements about Trump. He deleted several controversial posts, including one referencing Jeffrey Epstein and another that appeared to endorse calls for Trump’s impeachment. Early Wednesday, Musk took to his platform X (formerly Twitter) to acknowledge that he had crossed a line.

“I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far,” Musk wrote.

The outreach to Musk was not limited to the White House. Republican lawmakers and prominent Trump allies spent the past week urging Musk to reconcile with the former president and to throw his support behind a key domestic policy bill currently facing challenges in the Senate. During Musk’s previous period of close association with Trump, many within the president’s inner circle cultivated their own relationships with the tech magnate, relationships that have now become crucial in efforts to repair the rift.

Sources say that through calls and text messages, Trump’s allies have sought to deescalate the situation and explain the importance of what Trump has dubbed his “Big Beautiful Bill.” While Musk has been open to dialogue, he has reportedly voiced concerns about the bill’s lack of significant spending cuts.

House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed on Monday that he had been in touch with Musk and was attempting to mediate between him and Trump. “I think the temperature’s being turned down, and I’m very hopeful that these two will reconcile,” Johnson said.

Although the Monday phone call between Musk and Trump appears to have paved the way for a possible reconciliation, those close to the president are still hoping for Musk’s public endorsement of the policy bill. “He has real concerns, but we’re all hoping he comes around. His words carry a lot of weight,” one source commented.

The Friday call with Musk reportedly followed a discussion between Vance and Trump about how to publicly handle the feud, especially as Vance was scheduled for an interview with conservative podcaster Theo Von. Trump advised Vance to take a diplomatic approach, and by the time Wiles and Vance spoke with Musk, the situation had already begun to cool.

“Musk appeared to already be backing off at that point, and the president wasn’t as pissed by then as he was the day before,” a source said.

White House officials have indicated that the door remains open for Trump and Musk to fully repair their relationship. While Musk’s initial attacks were seen as a possible breaking point, those close to Trump say the president’s attitude toward Musk has softened in recent days.

Vance, during his podcast appearance, described Musk’s attacks as a “huge mistake” but expressed hope that Musk would “come back into the fold.” “I actually think that if Elon chilled out a little bit everything would be fine,” Vance said.

As unrest and protests over immigration enforcement erupted in Los Angeles over the weekend, Musk began signaling support for the Trump administration’s stance, amplifying posts about the government’s zero-tolerance approach to rioting and violence. He also posted a screenshot of a Trump statement criticizing California officials, and re-followed several conservative figures he had previously unfollowed during the dispute.

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who has been publicly urging Musk and Trump to reconcile, told Megyn Kelly this week, “I am hopeful, optimistic and will do everything I possibly can to try and bring this back together.”

Musk’s public message of regret seems to have been well received by Trump, who told The New York Post in a brief phone interview, “I thought it was very nice that he did that.”

As of now, both camps appear to be moving toward reconciliation, though the question of Musk’s support for Trump’s legislative agenda remains unresolved.