U.S. Presidents Donald Trump and Elon Musk attended a news event held on May 30, 2025 at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA.
Nathan Howard | Reuters
Musk publicly acknowledged Trump after being assassinated during a campaign to assassinate Butler, Pennsylvania.
Musk posted X on social media platforms: "I fully acknowledge President Trump and hope he recovers quickly."
In August, Musk and Trump had a conversation on X. This clumsy live streaming started an uncomfortable start, with technical difficulties delaying the activity for nearly an hour.
Trump and Musk congratulated each other in extensive chats, covering topics such as then-Vice President Kamala Harris, how Trump deals with assassination attempts and climate change.
Musk later hinted that he was "willing to serve in the government." this Tesla The CEO posted his own image on X, abbreviated as the Ministry of Government Efficiency, and is the representative of Doge.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk (R) joins the stage for former U.S. president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in his first assassination campaign on October 5, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania.
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In early October, Musk appeared at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania, where Trump survived an earlier assassination attempt.
Musk, who put a hat on the Trump campaign’s slogan “Make America Great Again”, said Trump is the only candidate to “maintain American democracy.”
The consistency of public displays continues, strengthening Musk's political comeback as he gets closer to Trump.
After Trump's re-election, Musk was appointed to lead Doge along with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The department was formed by executive orders with the task of cutting federal spending and bureaucracy.
"These two great Americans together will pave the way for my administration to demolish government bureaucracy, cut surplus regulations, cut wasted spending and reorganize federal agencies," Trump said in a statement at the time.
Ramaswamy will later serve as the Governor-General for elected position.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump greets Elon Musk during his sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket in Brownsville, Texas on November 19, 2024.
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Elon's mother, Maye Musk, later commented that the two "seemed to be happy".
Two weeks after his election victory, Trump joined Musk in the SpaceX Starship rocket launch in Texas.
At Trump's inauguration, Musk was praised by the president: "We have a new star. A star was born. Elon!"
Musk and Trump's CEO contact AmazonGoogle, Yuanand others.
Elon Musk, a senior White House adviser, walked to the White House after landing in the Marine Corps with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, DC on March 9, 2025.
Samuel Corum | Getty Images News | Getty Images
In early March, Trump told Cabinet members that they were in charge of the various agencies and departments they oversee, not Musk. The tech tycoon later posted a conference on X "very productive".
Trump turned the White House lawn into a Tesla showroom and defended Musk as electric car manufacturers piqued backlash across the globe.
U.S. President Donald Trump, along with senior White House adviser Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, sat on the White House South Lawn on March 11, 2025 on the White House South Lawn in Washington, DC.
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"He built this great company and he shouldn't be punished because he's a patriot," Trump said at the time.
The president also described the car as "beautiful" and said he would buy one.
Musk promised to "significantly" reduce his involvement in Doge over the next few weeks.
Musk's distraction and overstretching reports have reportedly raised concerns among Tesla and SpaceX investors.
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EV manufacturers' shares have fallen more than 40% so far as Tesla earns in the first quarter of April (missing expectations).
Musk publicly criticized Trump's signature tax and spending bill in an interview with CBS News, saying it refuted the work he did to reduce wasted government spending.
“Frankly, I’m disappointed to see a large spending bill that increases the budget deficit, not just reduces it and undermines the work done by the Governor’s team,” he said.
Trump responded to the criticism, saying he was not satisfied with some aspects of the bill, "but I'm excited about other aspects. That's how they develop."
Tesla CEO Elon Musk spoke to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on May 30, 2025 with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images
Musk left the White House a day after announcing criticism of the Trump bill. He thanked the president for his chance to run for Doge.
Trump held a farewell event for Musk, praising his work in the administration, but said he "hadn't really left" and would occasionally return to the White House because Doge was his "baby."
Musk further slammed Trump's spending bill, calling it "annoying abomination" and would blow up the federal budget deficit. "Shame of those who vote: You know you're doing something wrong. You know."
Criticism quickly escalated into a full-scale online quarrel between Trump and Musk, with the two trading barbs within hours.
The U.S. president threatened to withdraw Musk's government contract, and Tesla's CEO said Trump would not be able to win the election without him.
"Elon and I have a good relationship. I don't know if we will go back."