Elon Musk does surprise U-turn amid heated Trump feud to give the president 'credit' on a major conflict
He made his complimentary comment after re-tweeting Trump's update on peace talks between Israel and Gaza including a 60-day ceasefire deal.
'Credit where credit is due. @realDonaldTrump has successfully resolved several serious conflicts around the world,' the world's richest man wrote.
It was a remarkable change in tone considering the two men have spent the month sniping at each other on social media, each trying to out top the other with threats and insults.
The Tesla CEO has come out publicly against Trump's signature spending and tax 'big, beautiful bill' that is snaking its way through the House and Senate this week.
He slammed the bill over its cuts to electronic vehicle subsidies and says it increases the country's deficit.
After Musk's public condemnation of the legislation, Trump even indicated he was open to the idea of deporting the Tesla founder, who was born in South Africa and is a naturalized American.
The president also threatened to turn Musk's DOGE agency against him, telling the Daily Mail that he might have the agency 'eat Elon' - which likely meant Trump was threatening to cancel Musk's billions in government contracts.
The simmering tensions between the two men have boiled over in the past week as Musk railed against Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' and Trump snapped back. It was a throw back to their breakup last month, which was public and messy.
Their long alliance appears to be over but Musk, who said he was leaving DOGE to concentrate on his private businesses, appears to be making a return to politics.
Musk spent almost $300 million to support Trump and other Republican candidates in the 2024 election. And now he's threatening to start a new political party.
In response, Trump escalated matters, saying he is open to deporting Musk and adding that additional threat: turning DOGE - the agency Musk founded - against him.
'I don't know. We'll have to take a look,' the president told Daily Mail on Tuesday when asked about deporting Musk.
'We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon,' Trump added.
Musk responded on X, writing: 'So tempting to escalate this. So, so tempting. But I will refrain for now.'
Their feud, which had quieted down, reignited after the Tesla founder spent much of the weekend railing against Trump's signature bill, complaining about its cuts to electronic vehicle subsidies and showing that it increases the country's deficit.
The Senate, however, ultimately approved the 'big, beautiful bill' on Tuesday. It now faces another vote in the House.
Trump shrugged off Musk's criticism and warned the Tesla founder has more to lose than EV subsidies that help support his car business.
'Elon is not getting his mandate,' Trump said Tuesday. 'He's not going to get his mandate and he better be careful. He might not get anything else.'
Trump also appeared to regret his Tesla purchase, which he made earlier this year, paying cash. He turned the South Lawn into a Tesla showroom in a nod to his relationship with the world's richest man.
'Not everybody wants an electric car. I don't want an electric car,' Trump said.
At the time, Musk was the head of the Department of Government Efficiency and his auto dealerships became the target of protests due to his sweeping cost-cutting.
Musk was a top contributor to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, spending millions to help the president win a second term.
But their relationship went South after Musk left the government to return to the private sector. They sparred on social media after Musk amped up his criticism of the Big, Beautiful Bill.
But Trump made it clear that Musk knew the subsidies for electronic cars was not an option from the start.
And he said Musk may have to go back to his homeland of South Africa.
'Elon Musk knew, long before he so strongly endorsed me for president, that I was strongly against the EV Mandate,' Trump wrote on Truth Social early Tuesday.
Musk, in response, threatened to start a new political party and target Republicans who ultimately vote for the president's package.
'If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day,' he wrote on X. 'Our country needs an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uniparty so that the people actually have a VOICE.'
Musk, the world's richest man, gave nearly $300 million to Republican candidates last year. Now he may leverage that seismic war chest among the very GOPers he once aided, writing he would work to dislodge GOP incumbents in primaries 'if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.'
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