Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and former advisor to Donald Trump, said on Wednesday that he regrets criticising the U.S. president, following a very public falling-out last week.
“I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far,” Musk wrote on X, his social media platform.
The apology came shortly after Trump warned Musk of “serious consequences” if he attempted to challenge Republican lawmakers who support a contentious spending bill currently before Congress.
Their public rift, largely played out on social media, was sparked by Musk’s strong criticism of Trump’s “big, beautiful” spending bill. Some Republican lawmakers opposed to the bill had urged Musk, who was one of the party’s major donors in the last US election to help fund primary challenges against those backing it.
In an interview with NBC News, Trump called Musk “disrespectful” and warned, “He’ll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that,” though he did not elaborate on what those consequences might be.
While Musk’s apology may ease the friction for now, the incident underscores the fragile alliance between powerful backers and political leaders in the lead-up to the 2028 election cycle.
