WASHINGTON, USA — Tech billionaire Elon Musk has issued a rare public expression of regret over his recent online attacks against President Donald Trump, admitting that “some” of his comments “went too far” in a post on the social media platform X, which he owns.
“I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too far,” Musk wrote in the early hours of Wednesday, June 11, 2025, drawing a line under nearly a week of increasingly hostile exchanges between the two former allies.
I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 11, 2025
The statement marks a dramatic de-escalation after a bitter war of words that followed Trump’s criticism of Musk for publicly denouncing the president’s proposed tax-and-spending legislation, known as the “Big, Beautiful Bill.”
Musk, who completed a 130-day stint as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) before resigning on Friday, May 30, 2025, had sharply criticised the legislation, describing it as a “disgusting abomination” and a “pork-filled” spending package that would balloon the national debt.
“I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination,” Musk wrote on X last week.
He followed that post with an appeal to his followers to “KILL the BILL,” warning that “bankrupting America is NOT ok!”
The posts prompted a stern response from President Trump during a joint press appearance with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House on Thursday, June 5, 2025.
“I’m very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here,” Trump said.
“He knew everything about it. He had no problem with it. All of a sudden, he had a problem.”
Musk, who reportedly donated over $288 million to Trump’s re-election campaign, fired back with personal attacks, claiming he had been instrumental to Trump’s electoral success.
“Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” he posted on X.
“Such ingratitude.”
The online spat spiralled further when Musk posted archival images and a video showing Trump in the company of the late Jeffrey Epstein in the early 1990s, while alleging—without presenting evidence—that classified government files linking Trump to Epstein were being withheld from public release.
In turn, Trump accused Musk of going “CRAZY” on his platform, Truth Social, and hinted at withdrawing federal contracts awarded to Musk’s companies, including SpaceX’s missions to the International Space Station.
As tensions escalated, reports suggested a possible call between the two men was being arranged, but Trump appeared to dismiss the idea, telling reporters he had no interest in speaking to Musk.
The feud also attracted backlash from Trump loyalists.
Former White House adviser Steve Bannon called for Musk to be deported and investigated over alleged drug use, while the saga dominated late-night television and social media commentary.
Despite Musk’s attempt to temper the rhetoric, the relationship between the two high-profile figures remains publicly fractured.
