US President Donald Trump said he still likes Tesla, even after a public spat with its CEO, Elon Musk. Speaking at a White House event on Thursday, Trump said, “I like Tesla,” and added, “A lot of people love the electric. They like Tesla. So do I. In all fairness, I like Tesla and I like others too, but I also like combustion engines.”
He had threatened to move his red Tesla to the White House. Trump made these comments during an event where he officially ended California’s strict electric vehicle (EV) rules. While signing documents to cancel the state’s EV mandates, Trump joked, “Now we know why Elon doesn’t like me so much, which he does, actually. He does.”
The joke was a nod to the recent argument between the two. Musk lashed out at Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ calling it a “disgusting abomination.” He even said the president should be impeached, to which, Trump responded by saying he was “disappointed” in Musk.
MUSK SAYS HE WENT TOO FAR
Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has since admitted he went too far with his online posts about Trump. On Wednesday, Musk wrote on his social media platform X, “I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too far.”
He deleted several posts related to Trump — including the post where he supported the idea of Trump being impeached. However, he still believes the Trump tax bill will only increase the country’s financial problems.
The tension between the two all-weather friends escalated to an extent that Musk even talked about starting his new political party. But things calmed down after close aides to both men stepped in.
Vice President JD Vance, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and David Sacks — a friend of Musk and a senior Trump advisor on crypto — all worked behind the scenes to bring Musk and Trump back on good terms.
Speaking to reporters at the Kennedy Centre, Vance confirmed he had spoken to both Trump and Musk. “We’re trying to ensure that Elon is publicly supporting and privately supporting the president’s agenda,” Vance said. He also mentioned that Trump was “rightfully very frustrated” by Musk’s comments but didn’t want to continue fighting with him.
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