4 days ago
Trump: Elon has lost his mind
Donald Trump said Elon Musk has 'lost his mind' as he attempted to draw a line under a bitter White House feud.
On Friday, the president said he was 'not particularly' interested in speaking with Mr Musk after they clashed publicly over his tax and spending bill.
White House sources told The Telegraph that the president was 'over it' and wanted to move on from the public spat, raising hopes of a truce.
Mr Musk had called for Mr Trump to be impeached and linked the president to the late paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein, at the height of a toxic row that played out on the two men's social media platforms.
Mr Musk appeared to climb down late on Thursday night amid reports of a White House call to smooth relations.
Asked if he would get on the phone with Mr Musk, Mr Trump told ABC News: 'You mean the man who has lost his mind?'
Mr Trump and Mr Musk have resisted any further public attacks.
A Trump official told The Telegraph: 'I don't think the president is interested in speaking to Elon right now. But he's also over it and wants to stay focused on passing the bill.
'That was his mindset when he left last night, and that's his mindset moving forward.'
Insiders told The Telegraph that JD Vance could be positioned as the man to mediate in the feud and act as a bridge between the pair.
Mr Trump is now planning to give away or sell the red Tesla Model S, which he purchased from Mr Musk in March.
It is currently parked at the White House and used by staffers to move around the capital.
Shares of Mr Musk's electric car company tanked by more than 14 per cent on Thursday as investors dumped holdings as the row intensified.
But as tensions cooled on Friday, shares rose 5 per cent in early trading on Wall Street, pushing the company's market value back above $1 trillion.
Since stepping down as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency last week, Mr Musk has trashed Mr Trump's so-called 'big, beautiful' tax and spending bill, describing it as a 'disgusting abomination' which will increase the national debt.
The bill will end tax breaks for electric vehicles worth billions to his company.
One insider described Mr Trump as concerned about Mr Musk's mental state, telling Politico: 'The president is worried Elon is not well… and is just kind of freaking out.'
Another senior official hinted that the administration is unsurprised that their relationship has suddenly soured.
'Everyone knew this was gonna end badly. We're dealing with someone who is unstable… we saw it coming,' they said.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, called Mr Musk's behaviour 'an unfortunate episode', adding the Tesla boss is 'unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted'.
In a post on X, Ms Leavitt wrote that Mr Trump's 'number one focus' is ensuring that the legislation passes smoothly.
'This is a transformative piece of legislation that delivers on the Make America Great Agenda by delivering the largest tax cuts and border security investments in HISTORY,' she added.
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