WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will not be calling Elon Musk on Friday to smooth over their intensifying feud, despite reports suggesting otherwise, according to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
“There are no plans for that today,” Wiles told NBC News when asked about a Politico report that aides had scheduled a call with the Tesla CEO to de-escalate tensions.
A senior White House official added that Trump is simply “not interested” in speaking with Musk.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized that Trump remains focused on the GOP’s signature domestic policy package — dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” — which Musk publicly criticized earlier this week, sparking the rift.
“That’s the mindset he left the Oval Office in yesterday,” Leavitt said.
Another Trump administration official didn’t rule out future outreach, but said, “There could be anything — I’d like to de-escalate a very unfortunate situation. But there are no calls on the books, at least not now.”
The conflict erupted Thursday after Trump lashed out at Musk for his vocal opposition to the Republican tax-and-spending bill, which Musk labeled a “disgusting abomination,” primarily due to its projected impact on the deficit and elimination of electric vehicle tax incentives introduced during the Biden administration.
“I’m very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here, better than you people,” Trump said during an Oval Office press event with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. “I’ve helped Elon a lot.”
Musk disputed that claim, writing on X (formerly Twitter), “False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!”
What followed was a day-long exchange of personal barbs between the former president and the billionaire, playing out on their respective social media platforms — Trump on Truth Social, Musk on X. Musk posted more than 40 times Thursday, attacking the legislation and responding to Trump’s criticisms.
The very public feud rattled Capitol Hill and sent Tesla stock sliding, while prompting mixed reactions among Republicans. Some, like House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), expressed disappointment in Musk’s remarks, calling them “surprising.” Johnson also downplayed Musk’s influence in the GOP’s 2024 election victories: “Elon was a big contributor in the last election, but this was a whole team effort.”
Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance publicly backed Trump, writing, “President Trump has done more than any person in my lifetime to earn the trust of the movement he leads. I’m proud to stand beside him.”
Democrats, for their part, are watching closely. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said Musk’s opposition to the bill “lends credibility” to critiques around its impact on the deficit — though he cautioned that Republicans are “much more in fear of Trump than Musk.”
Still, some GOP lawmakers are steering clear of the conflict entirely.
“There’s a good verse in Proverbs: ‘Stay out of fights,’” said Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.). “I’m staying out of this one.”
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