Just days after a blistering online slug-fest, the war of words between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump appears to be cooling.
From “DOGE” Departure to Digital Diplomacy
On Thursday, Musk resigned his short-lived post as a special government adviser at the Department of Government Efficiency—a tongue-in-cheek agency nicknamed DOGE—and promptly torched the administration’s $2 trillion “big, beautiful bill,” calling it a “disgusting abomination” packed with deficit-inflating pork. Trump fired back, claiming Musk was furious only because the bill scraps electric-vehicle tax credits that benefit Tesla.
By Friday the clash had gone full soap-opera: Trump told Fox News that the billionaire had “totally lost it,” while Musk tweeted that Trump wouldn’t have won the 2024 election without the tech mogul’s support.
A Weekend Pivot
Then came the immigration raids in Los Angeles. Amid overnight protests and sporadic street violence, Musk unexpectedly echoed the White House line.
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On Truth Social, he re-posted Trump’s statement accusing California officials of “allowing insurrectionists” to run wild.
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Moments later, he amplified Vice President J.D. Vance’s pledge that the administration “will not tolerate rioting and violence.”
Trump’s post promised that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi would use “all necessary action” to end what he dubbed a “Migrant Invasion,” and vowed to “expel the Illegals” while sending 2 000 National Guard troops to the city. Roughly 300 soldiers were on the ground by Sunday night.
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Why the Sudden Thaw?
Political strategists see several motives:
| Possible Factor | How It Helps Musk |
|---|---|
| Business calculus | Tesla’s next-generation battery plant is awaiting federal loan guarantees. Mending fences could protect that approval. |
| Immigration optics | Musk has long called for a streamlined, merit-based immigration system. A hard-line stance on “chaos at the border” dovetails with SpaceX’s need for high-skill visas. |
| Public-image reset | Headlines had begun describing the feud as a distraction from Tesla recalls and SpaceX launch delays. A conciliatory gesture changes the narrative. |
Fun fact: Staffers at DOGE reportedly welcomed Musk with a commemorative Dogecoin adorned with a tiny government seal—and he kept it as a paperweight even after quitting.
California Pushback
Governor Gavin Newsom blasted the federal troop deployment as an “unlawful breach of state sovereignty.” Under normal circumstances, governors control National Guard forces. But Trump invoked a seldom-used Insurrection Act provision to place the troops under direct federal command, bypassing Sacramento.
Will This Truce Last?
Neither the White House nor Musk’s camp answered requests for comment, leaving Washington watchers to speculate. Some believe the détente will last only until the next contentious budget fight; others think both sides realize they have more to gain by cooperating than by lobbing online grenades.
Data point: A quick flash poll by Morning Consult on Monday showed 49 % of registered voters side with Trump’s use of the Guard, while 37 % oppose it—though approval among Californians drops to 29 %.
What’s Next
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House vote on the spending bill is set for Thursday; watchers will see whether Musk resumes his attacks.
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SpaceX’s “Olive Branch” satellite—named long before this feud—launches next week. PR insiders joke that the mission’s title could become a symbol of the sudden Musk-Trump rapprochement.
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City of Los Angeles prepares to challenge the Guard deployment in federal court, arguing misuse of military force.
For now, at least, Musk’s weekend retweets have dialed the temperature down from boiling to merely simmering—and in 2025’s hyper-partisan climate, that alone feels like headline news.
