Elon Musk has publicly admitted that he may have crossed a line in his latest war of words with Donald Trump.
“I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too far,” Musk wrote on X, the social media site he owns.
The admission comes after a string of heated online exchanges between the two billionaires, once thought to be on friendly terms. The rift widened after Musk blasted Trump’s proposed tax bill, calling it a “disgusting abomination”.
The legislation, which passed the House of Representatives last month, promises major tax cuts and increased defence spending. It’s now under review in the Senate. Trump has championed it as a “bold move to keep America strong”.
Musk disagrees. In a series of posts, he warned that the bill could “trigger a recession in the second half of the year,” urging Americans to contact their lawmakers and “kill the bill.”
Things took a darker turn when Musk, without offering proof, suggested that Trump was mentioned in sealed government files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in jail in 2019.
The White House dismissed the claims outright. “There is no basis for that kind of accusation,” a spokesperson said.
Trump didn’t hold back either. “Elon Musk has lost his mind,” he said at a rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday. “He wants to bite the hand that feeds him.” Trump went further, suggesting that the government might reconsider its contracts with Musk’s companies—deals reportedly worth up to $38 billion (£28 billion).
It’s a sharp downturn in a relationship that once saw Musk invited to the Oval Office during Trump’s presidency. Photos from that time show the two smiling side by side. That image, however, feels like a lifetime ago.
Experts say the public spat could have real consequences. “It’s not just about pride,” said Dr. Melissa Craig, a political analyst at Georgetown University. “When someone like Elon Musk openly challenges federal policy or a former president, the economic and political ripple effects can be significant.”
For now, both men seem unwilling to back down completely. Trump has said he has “no interest in mending fences” with Musk. Musk, meanwhile, hasn’t deleted any of his controversial posts, despite his admission of regret.
The question now is whether this feud will fizzle out—or escalate even further as the 2024 election season heats up.
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