The Voice News: In a phone interview with ABC News on Friday morning, former President Donald Trump addressed his recent public fallout with billionaire Elon Musk, dismissing the feud and stating that he’s “not particularly” interested in speaking with Musk at the moment.
Speaking with ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl shortly before 7 a.m., Trump responded to reports that a call had been scheduled with Musk later in the day. “You mean the man who has lost his mind?” Trump said, adding that Musk may want to talk to him, but he’s not ready for that conversation yet.
Trump then shifted focus, downplaying the Musk spat and instead highlighting other matters: falling inflation, rising foreign investment, and his upcoming trip to China, which he described as “huge.”
According to people close to the former president, Trump seemed more “sad” than angry about the situation. One adviser present Thursday night said Trump appeared “bummed” about the falling out with Musk, and that tone carried over into his Friday conversation.
Sources also told ABC News that Trump is considering selling or giving away a red Tesla he previously bought to support Musk’s company. The car had been spotted Thursday parked on West Executive Avenue. Trump had publicly shown interest in Tesla models at the White House in March, at a time when Musk’s business was under pressure during a Washington visit.
The feud escalated Thursday when Musk criticized Trump’s tax and immigration bill—calling it deeply flawed—and went as far as suggesting Trump would have lost the 2024 election without his help. Musk even backed calls for Trump’s impeachment and accused him, without evidence, of being mentioned in the Epstein files.
“That’s the real reason they haven’t been released. Have a nice day, DJT!” Musk posted on X.
Trump fired back, saying Musk had gone “CRAZY,” and hinted at cutting Musk’s government contracts and subsidies.
Vice President JD Vance eventually issued a statement of support for Trump, though he didn’t address Musk’s specific claims. “President Trump has done more than anyone in my lifetime to earn the trust of the movement he leads. I am proud to stand beside him,” Vance wrote on social media.
The next day, Vance posted again, defending Trump’s temperament. “There are many lies the corporate media tells about President Trump. One of the most glaring is that he’s impulsive or short-tempered,” he wrote, turning the criticism toward media coverage instead of Musk.
The White House also weighed in, calling the spat “an unfortunate episode from Elon, who doesn’t like the One Big Beautiful Bill because it doesn’t include his policies.”
“The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again,” said press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Interestingly, Musk seemed to ease up just hours after making the explosive allegations. Responding to a little-known account on X that urged him to “cool off” and “step back,” Musk replied, “Good advice. Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon,” referencing his earlier threat to pull the spacecraft used for NASA missions.
The dramatic exchange left Washington buzzing, as two of the most powerful figures in business and politics appeared to go their separate ways—at least for now.