Donald Trump open to mending ties with Elon Musk: ‘No hard feelings,’ but ‘a little disappointed’

US President Donald Trump signalled he’s open to reconciling with Elon Musk, though the tech billionaire isn’t top of mind as he focuses on national priorities.

Speaking on the debut episode of Pod Force One with New York Post columnist Miranda Devine, Trump said, “Look, I have no hard feelings. I was really surprised that that happened… I think he feels very badly that he said that, actually.”

Trump, 78, said he doesn’t blame Musk for the recent strain in their relationship but added, “I was a little disappointed.”

Trump on Musk: ‘It is what it is’

The former allies fell out after Musk attacked the GOP’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”, a sweeping tax-and-spending plan championed by Trump. Musk, 53, called it “pork-filled” and a “disgusting abomination”.

“I guess I could [patch things up with him],” Trump said, “but we have to straighten out the country… And my sole function now is getting this country back to a level higher than it’s ever been. And I think we can do that.”

Asked about Musk’s recent behaviour, Trump replied, “I don’t know what his problem is, really… I haven’t thought too much about him in the last little while.”

On Bannon claims that Musk body-checked Treasury Secretary

Adding fuel to the feud, former Trump strategist Steve Bannon recently alleged that Musk body-checked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during a heated April exchange over the acting IRS commissioner appointment.

Bannon, according to The Washington Post, said that Musk “rammed into Bessent’s rib cage like a rugby player”. Trump described the encounter as a “shouting match”, adding, “That’s typical.”

Bessent had previously called Musk a “total fraud,” while Musk reportedly backed a rival candidate for the IRS post.

Debt fight and Musk’s cost-cutting push

Musk’s fury over the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” is rooted in fiscal concerns. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill would add $3 trillion to the national debt over the next decade. Musk, who had led the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), viewed the legislation as a betrayal of that mission.

On Thursday, Musk declared that Trump “wouldn’t have won the 2024 election without me”, accusing the president of “such ingratitude”.

Federal contracts, Epstein files, and a SpaceX threat

The tensions escalated after Musk accused Trump of covering up Jeffrey Epstein-related files—a claim he later deleted. In retaliation, Trump publicly floated ending federal contracts with Musk’s companies, including SpaceX.

“He went crazy,” Trump said at the time. “He’s lost his mind.”

Musk responded by threatening to pull SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft from NASA missions, a move that could have severely impacted the US space programme.

Musk slams Trump’s spending bill: “Kill the Bill”

Elon Musk earlier attacked Trump’s tax-and-spending bill on June 4, urging Americans to demand its defeat. "Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL,” Musk posted on X.

He blasted the bill as “a disgusting abomination” and warned it would lead to “debt slavery", accusing GOP lawmakers of betraying fiscal conservatism. “Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong.”

Earlier, Musk urged a complete rewrite: “A new spending bill should be drafted that doesn’t massively grow the deficit and increase the debt ceiling by 5 TRILLION DOLLARS.”

Signs of a possible thaw

Despite the bitter fallout, there are signs of reconciliation. When Trump wished Musk “very well” at a White House event on Monday, Musk responded with a heart emoji on X (formerly Twitter), hinting at softened feelings.

Asked whether he’d speak with Musk again, Trump replied, “I haven’t really thought about it actually. I would imagine he wants to speak to me. If I were him, I would want to speak to me. Maybe he’s already called. You’d have to ask him.”

“We had a good relationship,” Trump added. “And I just wish him well, very well actually.”

Elon Musk expressed regret on June 11 for some of his recent remarks about Trump, admitting on his platform X, “I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too far.”