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US Vice President JD Vance has weighed in on the public spat between former allies Elon Musk and President Donald Trump, saying it was a huge mistake for the tech titan and hoped he "came back into the fold".
Musk has been at loggerheads with Trump just days after he quit the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). And the bone of contentions is Trump's over the latter's "big, beautiful bill" on government spending and the massive tax cuts.
In a podcast with comedian Theo Von that was released on Saturday, Vance said Musk was entitled to his opinion while he threw his weight behind Trump.
"I'm not saying he has to agree with the bill or agree with everything that I'm saying. I just think it's a huge mistake for the world's wealthiest man. I think one of the most transformational entrepreneurs ever — to be at war with the world's most powerful man, who I think is doing more to save the country than anybody in my lifetime," he said.
"I just think you've got to have some respect for him and say, 'yeah, we don't have to agree on every issue'. But is this war actually in the interest of the country? I don't think so," Vance added.
He said Trump was "getting a little frustrated" due to the "unfair" criticisms from Musk, but described him as being restrained in his fallout with the tech billionaire.
"Hopefully, Elon figures it out, comes back into the fold. I know the president was getting a little frustrated, feeling like some of the criticisms were unfair coming from Elon. But I think it has been very restrained. The president doesn't think that he needs to be in a blood feud with Elon Musk. I actually think that if Elon chilled out a little bit, everything would be fine," he said.
Asserting that he was proud to "stand beside Trump", Vance said, "The president has done more than any person in my lifetime to earn the trust of the movement he leads."
HOW DID THE FEUD BEGAN?
The falling-out had begun brewing days ago when Musk, who left his role as head of DOGE a week ago, denounced Trump's sweeping tax-cuts and spending bill.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday voiced disappointment over Elon Musk's stinging criticism of the Republican spending legislation, dubbed the "One Big Beautiful Bill", and said the Tesla CEO had always been aware of the bill's key provisions - especially the proposed cuts to electric vehicle (EV) mandates. Musk responded on X with a "whatever" and said the bill was never shown to him even once.
Trump then threatened to cancel government contracts linked to Musk's businesses. The US President asserted that Musk had become difficult to deal with and accused him of overreacting.
Musk, meanwhile, continued his attackon X, saying "Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Democrats would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate."
Musk had bankrolled a large part of Trump's presidential campaign after the Republican's twin assassination attempts last year.
Trump snubbed Musk amid the public spat, telling ABC News in a phone interview that he was "not interested in a call with a man who lost his mind". Trump asserted that Musk wanted to speak to him, but he was not ready to do so.
Musk then dropped a bombshell, claiming that Trump was named in the files of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. However, he later deleted his post.
Published By:
Prateek Chakraborty
Published On:
Jun 7, 2025
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