In the midst of escalating tensions with tech magnate Elon Musk over his contentious "big beautiful bill," U.S. President Donald Trump has made a conciliatory gesture of sorts, calling his erstwhile advisor a "wonderful guy."
In spite of their recent ugly spat in public, Trump lavished praise on Musk during a Sunday interview on Fox News, hailing him as "smart" and predicting that he would fare wonderfully in the future.
Musk, a former presidential advisor until May 2025, left the Trump administration in controversial circumstances, notably after a disagreement with the President regarding the recent tax reform proposal. The controversy boiled over when Musk publicly denounced Trump's ambitious tax-and-spending package.
I think he's a terrific guy. I haven't talked to him a lot, but I think Elon is a terrific guy, and I know he's going to do well always. He's a bright guy. And he actually came and campaigned with me, and this and that. But he got a little bit angry, and that was not good," Trump replied when questioned about their recent interactions.
Pressed for the reason behind the fallout, Trump intimated that Musk's frustration resulted from the dismantling of electric car tax credits — an issue close to the heart of the Tesla CEO. Yet, Musk has already disavowed such a claim.
"Look, the electric vehicle mandate, the EV mandate, is a hard thing for him. I would, you know, I don't want everybody to have to have an electric car," Trump said.
A Public Battle Flares
Musk on his 54th birthday made the flame burn again by posting a vitriolic attack on the Senate version of Trump's suggested legislation on his social media site, X. In the post, Musk, who had once headed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), attacked the bill as "utterly insane and destructive," at a time when lawmakers were getting ready to start debate on the close to 1,000-page draft.
"The new Senate bill draft will kill millions of American jobs and inflict tremendous strategic damage on our nation! Completely insane and devastating," Musk tweeted.
This incendiary remark was the latest in a series of volleys by the tech mogul, who had previously called the bill a "disgusting abomination" full of wasteful spending provisions.
The exchange between Trump and Musk soon escalated into an all-out social media battle, with the two trading insults online. Things came to a head when Musk tweeted a now-deleted statement mentioning a reported connection between Trump and the Epstein files — a tweet that strained relations further.
In spite of the controversy and Musk's vehement opposition, Trump's plan for tax cuts sailed through the Senate with a hair's breadth 51–49 vote. The bill will now go to the House of Representatives, where it will receive a final vote before possibly becoming law.
Read also| Watch| Jeff Bezos Marries Lauren Sanchez: First Photo of the Newlyweds Revealed
