Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has issued a formal apology for a series of inflammatory posts directed at former U.S. President Donald Trump, acknowledging that his comments were excessive and counterproductive.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday morning, Musk offered a rare expression of contrition, writing:
“I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.”
The apology follows an intensely publicised online dispute between Musk and Trump, which erupted over a contentious government spending bill backed by the former president. The confrontation triggered a widespread political backlash and caused significant market volatility.
At the height of the feud, Musk—who recently resigned from his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—condemned Trump’s flagship tax and spending bill, describing it as a “disgusting abomination” in a widely circulated post. According to projections from the Congressional Budget Office, the bill is expected to increase the federal deficit by $2.4 trillion over the next decade and could result in the loss of health coverage for approximately 11 million Americans.
As a vocal proponent of fiscal discipline, Musk argued that the proposed legislation undermined the core cost-reduction principles he championed while at DOGE.
Trump retaliated via Truth Social, claiming Musk was “wearing thin” and asserting that he had personally demanded Musk’s resignation from his advisory position. Trump further threatened to revoke federal contracts and subsidies awarded to Musk’s enterprises—including Tesla and SpaceX—stating:
“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.”
The clash escalated when Musk alleged that Trump would not have secured re-election in 2024 without his financial support—referencing nearly $300 million in campaign contributions. Musk also insinuated that Trump was linked to the unreleased Epstein files, sharing a 1992 video of Trump with Jeffrey Epstein and calling for his impeachment. These posts were later deleted.
The market responded sharply. Tesla’s stock plummeted by 14% on Thursday, erasing $152 billion in market capitalisation and reducing Musk’s personal net worth by an estimated $34 billion. Simultaneously, concerns mounted at SpaceX after Musk threatened—then rescinded—plans to pause the Dragon spacecraft program.
Amid mounting investor anxiety and pressure from political stakeholders, Musk’s apology is widely seen as a strategic move to de-escalate hostilities and shore up stability across his business interests.
