The relationship between U.S. President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk appears to be improving somewhat, following protests in Los Angeles (LA). In particular, Musk, who had previously made harsh remarks against President Trump, is now retracting his past "crossing the line" comments as he expresses agreement with Trump's hardline stance in response to the immigrant protests.
Protesters demonstrating against illegal immigration raids in front of the downtown LA detention center. Photo by Yonhap News
On June 9 (local time), Musk captured and shared on his social media platform X a Truth Social post by President Trump related to the protests. In the shared post, President Trump stated that California Governor Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass should apologize to LA citizens for the current protest situation.
Musk also shared a post by Vice President JD Vance stating, "The President will not tolerate riots or acts of violence," expressing his agreement with a U.S. flag emoji. Previously, Musk deleted posts on X that had called for President Trump's impeachment or claimed, without evidence, that Trump was involved in a sex scandal.
Last week, after criticizing President Trump, Musk had unfollowed the X account of Trump's close aide, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. However, he has now resumed following Miller's account. Miller is known for overseeing the Trump administration's immigration policies, including border control and deportation of immigrants.
Some observers speculate that Musk, who has shown unwavering support for Trump's immigration policy stance, may be seeking to improve relations with the President by praising his response to the LA protests.
While leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Trump administration and working to reduce government spending, Musk had previously criticized President Trump over issues such as the tax cut bill and reciprocal tariff policies.
Perhaps as a result of Musk ceasing his attacks, President Trump's tone toward Musk has also softened somewhat. When asked by reporters at the White House about his relationship with Musk, President Trump said, "We had a good relationship. I wish Musk well. I really wish him well."
However, it appears that neither Musk nor President Trump has completely let go of lingering resentment. Musk shared a post from a political satire site on X stating, "The Republican Party plans to act in direct opposition to the demands of its base." He also replied "That's right" to a user's post saying, "Musk fighting with Trump is neither for attention nor a distraction."
President Trump also drew a line when asked by reporters if he would take a call from Musk, saying, "I've never thought about that. Maybe Musk would want to talk to me."
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