Kanye West and Bill Ackman are rooting for Trump and Musk to get back together
Hedge fund titan Bill Ackman and controversial rapper Kanye West both called for President Donald Trump and Elon Musk to bury the hatchet after their feud exploded in spectacular fashion.
Musk accused Trump of reckless spending, called for his impeachment, alleged that he was named in government files linked to the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and floated the idea of forming a new political party.
The president lashed out at his former 'First Buddy' with threats of retaliation and character attacks.
Into the fray stepped Ackman, a major Trump donor, who attempted to cool tensions by urging the two to reconcile.
5 Hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman is offering to mediate the dispute between President Trump and Elon Musk.
AFP via Getty Images
'I support @realDonaldTrump and @elonmusk and they should make peace for the benefit of our great country,' Ackman wrote on X on Thursday.
'We are much stronger together than apart.'
Musk, who recently stepped down from his post leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), replied tersely: 'You're not wrong.'
The understated response was taken by some as a sign that a truce could be on the horizon, especially with reports suggesting the two may speak by phone Friday.
West, who has changed his name to Ye and no stranger to controversy himself, also chimed in with a plea for harmony.
5 Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, expressed dismay over the Musk-Trump beef.
Getty Images
'Broooos please noooooo. We love you both so much,' he posted on X, alongside an emoji of two people embracing.
Neither Ackman nor Ye's representatives immediately responded to requests for comment from The Post.
Whether an olive branch will be extended remains uncertain.
Trump does not intend to speak with Elon Musk on Friday, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Post.
'President Trump is focused on making our country great again and passing the 'One Big Beautiful Bill,'' White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told The Post on Friday.
The Post has sought comment from Musk.
The blowup marks a dramatic shift in a relationship that only months ago had seemed foundational to Trump's second-term plans.
Following a July 2024 assassination attempt that nearly killed Trump during a campaign rally, Musk offered his full-throated endorsement of his White House bid.
5 The political partnership between Musk and Trump fell apart amid mutual recriminations that were posted on social media.
Getty Images
Musk later stood beside him at Mar-a-Lago on election night, celebrating the GOP's victory and was subsequently tapped to help lead the newly formed DOGE — an agency charged with slashing federal expenditures.
Throughout the early months of Trump's second term, Musk was frequently seen at the White House, occasionally accompanied by his son X Æ A-XII.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO appeared to be positioning himself as a high-tech consigliere in the administration's inner circle.
5 Musk alleged that the president's name was included in government files linked to the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Molly Riley/White House / SWNS
But tensions began to simmer this spring. Musk started publicly distancing himself from the administration in May, criticizing several policy decisions and retreating from his previous role as an informal adviser.
The conflict went nuclear Thursday, with Musk launching a volley of blistering posts on X aimed at Trump's fiscal agenda — particularly his recent tax legislation, which Musk dubbed the 'Big Ugly Spending Bill.'
Musk also insinuated that Trump could be named in the sealed files related to Epstein and threatened to retire SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, jeopardizing a crucial transportation link between NASA and private space operations.
5 Trump accused Musk of being afflicted with 'Trump Derangement Syndrome.'
AFP via Getty Images
Trump hit back swiftly. During a White House ceremony later that day, he dismissed Musk's critiques as 'Trump Derangement Syndrome,' before turning to Truth Social to defend his economic policies and suggesting Musk had 'gone crazy.'
He also reportedly discussed revoking government contracts held by Musk's companies.
The highly public nature of the feud — and the speed with which it escalated — sent shockwaves through political and business circles, with some observers warning it could fracture the fragile coalition that has fused populist conservatism with Silicon Valley's libertarian streak.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Donald Trump and Elon Musk urged by Republicans to end feud
Republicans fearful about potential consequences of a prolonged feud between US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are urging the pair to call a truce. At a minimum, the explosion of animosity between the two powerful men could complicate the path forward for Republicans' massive tax and border spending legislation that has been promoted by Mr Trump but criticised by Mr Musk. 'I hope it doesn't distract us from getting the job done that we need to,' said representative Dan Newhouse, a Republican from Washington state. 'I think that it will boil over and they'll mend fences.' As of Friday afternoon, Mr Musk was holding his fire, posting about his various companies on social media rather than attacking the president. Mr Trump departed the White House for his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, without stopping to talk to reporters who shouted questions about his battle with Mr Musk. 'I hope that both of them come back together because when the two of them are working together, we'll get a lot more done for America than when they're at cross purposes,' senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, told Fox News host Sean Hannity. Senator Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, sounded almost pained on social media as Mr Trump and Mr Musk volleyed insults at each other, sharing a photo composite of the two men and writing, 'But … I really like both of them.' 'Who else really wants @elonmusk and @realDonaldTrump to reconcile?' Mr Lee posted, later adding: 'Repost if you agree that the world is a better place with the Trump-Musk bromance fully intact.' So far, the feud between Mr Trump and Mr Musk is probably best described as a moving target, with plenty of opportunities for escalation or detente. Repost if you agree that the world is a better place with the Trump-Musk bromance fully intact@elonmusk @realDonaldTrump — Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) June 6, 2025 One person familiar with the president's thinking said Mr Musk wants to speak with Mr Trump, but that the president does not want to do it – or at least do it on Friday. In a series of conversations with television news presenters on Friday morning, Mr Trump showed no interest in burying the hatchet. Asked on ABC News about reports of a potential call between him and Mr Musk, the president responded: 'You mean the man who has lost his mind?' Mr Trump added in the ABC interview that he was 'not particularly' interested in talking to Mr Musk at the moment. Still, others remained hopeful that it all would blow over. 'I grew up playing hockey and there wasn't a single day that we played hockey or basketball or football or baseball, whatever we were playing, where we didn't fight. And then we'd fight, then we'd become friends again,' Mr Hannity said on his show on Thursday night. Acknowledging that it 'got personal very quick,' Mr Hannity nonetheless added that the rift was 'just a major policy difference'. House of Representatives speaker Mike Johnson projected confidence that the dispute would not affect prospects for the tax and border bill. 'Members are not shaken at all,' the Republican said. 'We're going to pass this legislation on our deadline.' He added that he hopes Mr Musk and Mr Trump reconcile, saying 'I believe in redemption' and 'it's good for the party and the country if all that's worked out.' But he also had something of a warning for the billionaire entrepreneur. 'I'll tell you what, do not doubt and do not second-guess and don't ever challenge the president of the United States, Donald Trump,' Mr Johnson said. 'He is the leader of the party. He's the most consequential political figure of this generation and probably the modern era.'
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Zelenskyy responds to Trump: We are not children in park with Putin, he is murderer
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has responded to the words of his American counterpart Donald Trump, who compared Russia and Ukraine to children fighting in a park. Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with ABC Details: Zelenskyy was asked whether he thought Trump understood the scale of suffering in Ukraine, given his comments in the Oval Office. "We are not kids with Putin at the playground in the park. He is a murderer who came to this park to kill the kids," Zelenskyy said. The Ukrainian president stressed that Trump could not fully feel and understand the pain of Ukrainians. "And it's not about President Trump, it's about any person who is not here in the country, who is some thousands of miles away — [they] cannot feel fully and understand this pain," he said. Zelenskyy stressed that 631 children had been killed in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion. Background: Trump recently shared details of his conversation with Russian ruler Vladimir Putin the day before, including his idea that Ukraine and Russia should be allowed to fight some more because it would be easier to stop it later. He also compared the Russo-Ukrainian war to two children fighting like crazy. "Sometimes you see two young children fighting like crazy. They hate each other and are fighting in the park, and you try to pull them apart; they don't want to be pulled. Sometimes it's better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart," he said at the time. In addition, on 6 June, the US president said that Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian airfields were a reason for Moscow to launch new large-scale attacks. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
USA Today
38 minutes ago
- USA Today
Republicans, be so for real. This embarrassing government is what you wanted?
Republicans, be so for real. This embarrassing government is what you wanted? | Opinion Is this really what Republicans still want? Are they so scared of trans people having rights or undocumented immigrants receiving due process they chose a government that won't stand up to tyranny? Show Caption Hide Caption Six takeaways from the President Donald Trump, Elon Musk feud From disappointment to threats, here are six takeaways from the public spat between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Anyone could have predicted that President Donald Trump's second term was going to be an absolute disaster. I doubt even Republicans realized it would be this bad. Amid Trump's feud with Elon Musk, our tanking economy and our dysfunctional Congress, it seems that the next three and a half years are going to be rough on the country. I have to imagine that some Republican voters have buyer's remorse but would never admit it. I also realize that, for many Republican voters, a chaotic government is better than one that's run by a Democrat. They would rather watch our country become an international laughingstock than vote for someone who would run a stable, albeit more liberal, government. They would rather have millions lose health care than have a Democrats in power. I'll be the first to admit that Kamala Harris wasn't a perfect presidential candidate, but she was competent. She was energetic. She could ensure the country stayed on its course and continued to be a place where people felt secure. We could have had that. And Republicans in Congress would have done their job. Instead, we have this. So, this far into Trump's chaotic reign, I have to ask. Is this really what Republicans wanted? President Donald Trump vs. Elon Musk. Really? In case you missed it, Trump and Musk have gone from inseparable to enemies in a matter of hours. Musk, who was previously charged with leading the Department of Government Efficiency, has gone on X (previously Twitter) to allege that Trump was included in the Jeffrey Epstein files and whine that the Republicans would have lost the election without him. Trump, in response, has threatened to cancel all of Musk's contracts with the federal government. It's almost entertaining, in the way high school drama is entertaining. If only the entire country weren't on the verge of suffering because of it. Opinion: Musk erupts, claims Trump is in the Epstein files. Who could've seen this coming? If Harris had been elected, I doubt she would have made a narcissistic man-child one of her closest advisers in the first place – not just because Musk endorsed Trump, but because he was and continues to be a liability. She wouldn't have created DOGE and then allowed it to be a threat to Americans. Republicans, however, were unwilling to acknowledge the baggage that came with having Musk on their side. Now we have the president of the United States embroiled in a childish social media battle with the world's richest man. Think about how stupid that makes the country look. Is this what Republicans wanted? Is that what they still want? Surely they knew that the Trump-Musk partnership, like many of Trump's alliances, was going to implode. They are so scared of progressivism that they would rather have pettiness and vindictiveness in the White House. The American economy is not doing well. You wanted this? Trump, ever the businessman, has decided that making everything more expensive is what will make our country great again. His tariffs are expected to cost the average family $4,000 this year, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. I thought Republicans were the party of the working class. I thought they were supposed to care about grocery prices and the cost of living. But with the insanity of Trump's tariffs, a cooling job market and tax cuts that protect the wealthy, it seems like nothing is actually getting better for the average American. Our economy actually shrank. Opinion: Who would want to have babies under a Trump administration? Not me. Again, Republicans, you really wanted this? You were so scared of a government that was slightly more liberal that you would let everything get more expensive for working families? What were you afraid of – taxing billionaires? Helping first-time homebuyers? Harris' 'opportunity economy'? It seems like none of you thought this through. Or, worse, you did. The Republican Congress is a joke Another element of Trumpism is the fact that Republicans in Congress seem to be fine with the way he is completely dismantling the United States government. They don't care that his One Big Beautiful Bill Act is going to add to the deficit, so long as it's a Republican putting us further into debt. Some of them, like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, failed to even read the bill before voting for it. Their lack of interest is so substantial that she just admitted it openly. Opinion: Why can't Democrats take advantage of all this obvious Republican failure? If Harris had been elected, there would be no need for Congress to monitor her every move (even if they're failing to do that with Trump). Instead, we may have seen a legislature that, while divided, was able to function. We would have had checks and balances and likely significantly fewer executive orders, none of which would have tried to rewrite the U.S. Constitution. Once again – is this really what Republicans still want? Are they so scared of the possibility of trans people having rights or undocumented immigrants receiving due process that they would choose a government that won't stand up to tyranny? Would they really elect a tyrant in the first place? They did, so I suppose they must be OK with all of it. I can't get over the fact that Republicans willingly chose chaos over stability. They would rather say they won than have a functioning government or a stable economy. They would rather see our country suffer than admit that Trump is a raging lunatic. That isn't patriotism – it's partisanship. They would rather give Musk billions in federal contracts than help Americans in any way. This is what nearly half the country chose for the rest of us. And it doesn't seem like anyone is embarrassed about it. Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter: @sara__pequeno
