President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk appear to have repaired their once-fractured relationship following a private dinner at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
On Sunday, Jan. 4, Musk shared a post on X revealing that he had dinner with Trump and first lady Melania Trump the previous evening. “Had a lovely dinner last night with @POTUS and @FLOTUS,” Musk wrote, alongside a photo of the trio seated together at a dining table. He added optimistically, “2026 is going to be amazing!”
Fox News reported that the dinner took place Saturday night at Mar-a-Lago, marking one of the most visible signs yet that tensions between the two high-profile figures may be easing after a very public fallout last year.
Musk’s appearance with Trump comes months after his departure from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a short-lived agency he led from January until May 30, 2025. Trump announced Musk’s exit after his special government employee contract expired. DOGE faced widespread criticism during Musk’s tenure, particularly after more than 20 civil service employees resigned in February.
In a joint resignation letter obtained by PEOPLE, the group — which included engineers, designers, data scientists, and product managers — stated they would not use their skills to undermine public services or risk Americans’ sensitive data. The letter was addressed to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and accused DOGE of dismantling critical government systems.
Shortly after leaving his post, Musk publicly criticized Trump’s signature spending legislation, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” In a fiery post on X, Musk called the bill a “massive, outrageous, pork-filled” piece of legislation and condemned lawmakers who supported it.
The dispute escalated when Musk made a now-deleted post alleging that Trump appeared in the Epstein files, implying this was why certain records had not been released. Trump had previously been linked to Jeffrey Epstein after his name appeared multiple times in flight logs released in 2025. Musk later removed the post, and Epstein’s former attorney, David Schoen, stated that Epstein had no damaging information about Trump.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed Musk’s comments as an “unfortunate episode” in a statement to CNN, attributing the remarks to Musk’s frustration over the spending bill. She emphasized that Trump remained focused on passing what he described as historic legislation.
Despite Musk later walking back some of his statements, sources told PEOPLE in June that the relationship between Musk and the Trump White House had deteriorated significantly. One political insider described the dynamic as shifting from admiration to transactional, and eventually to complete avoidance. Another source said Musk’s social media attacks permanently damaged trust.
Throughout 2025, the two continued trading barbs. In June, Trump told CNN he was not thinking about Musk and suggested the billionaire had “a problem.” The following month, Musk announced the creation of a new political movement called the American Party, prompting Trump to label him a “train wreck” who had gone “off the rails.”
However, signs of reconciliation have surfaced in recent months. Trump and Musk were seen together at the public memorial service for conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September. Later, during Trump’s speech at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum on Nov. 19, the president referenced Musk while discussing tax deductions for domestically produced vehicles, jokingly telling him, “You are so lucky I am with you, Elon.”
Following that event, Musk publicly thanked Trump on X, praising him for his contributions to the country and the world.
The recent Mar-a-Lago dinner suggests that, despite past conflicts and harsh words, the relationship between Trump and Musk may once again be on friendlier terms.
