Elon Musk’s early morning tweet on Wednesday, in which he said he regretted going “too far” in his criticism of President Trump, came after a behind-the-scenes phone call last Friday with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Vice President J.D. Vance, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussion. The call was part of an effort by Musk to defuse tensions following a week of increasingly bitter exchanges between him and Trump, particularly over Musk’s public opposition to the president’s flagship tax and budget proposal currently in Congress.
Musk had strongly criticized Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” warning it would explode the federal deficit by trillions. But after facing political pressure and growing friction with key allies, he backed down. The call began as a private conversation between Musk and Wiles, and Vance who has close ties to both men was later added to the discussion. Vance, whom Musk had privately urged Trump to choose as his running mate during the 2024 campaign, found himself uncomfortably caught in the middle of the fallout.
The apology tweet, which lacked specifics about which comments Musk was walking back, followed days of social media attacks in which he claimed credit for Trump’s election win, suggested the president should be impeached, and even alleged he was named in the Epstein files. The reversal was widely seen by insiders as damage control. But to many observers, it also made Musk appear weak backtracking only after realizing the potential fallout for his companies and political influence.
SpaceX, one of Musk’s most prominent ventures, holds billions of dollars in federal contracts, and his political clout within Republican circles is significant after he emerged as the party’s largest donor during the 2024 cycle. Trump, who initially reacted by threatening to cut off Musk’s access to government deals, has recently taken a softer tone, signaling a desire to move past the feud with his former ally, once affectionately dubbed his “First Buddy.”
Still, the apology left a bitter aftertaste among Trump loyalists. Privately, those close to the president described him as more hurt than furious. Three sources said Trump used the word “betrayal” to describe Musk’s actions. One confidant noted, “A public ‘I’m sorry’ from Elon would go a long way. Still, I don’t think the relationship will be the same.”
Despite declining to clarify exactly which comments Musk regretted, the timing and tone of his apology following the high-level call and public fallout suggested it was less about personal conviction and more about salvaging his standing. For someone who often prides himself on defiance, the retreat came off as calculated, and to critics, even cowardly.