U.S. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk attend a press tournament within the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 30, 2025.
Nathan Howard | Reuters
July 2024
Musk publicly endorses Trump following an assassination strive at a marketing campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Musk posts on social media platform X: “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery.”
August–October 2024
In August, Musk held a dialog with Trump on X. The glitchy livestream were given off to an inauspicious get started, with technical difficulties delaying the development for just about an hour.
Trump and Musk congratulated each and every different in a wide-ranging chat, protecting subjects akin to then-Vice President Kamala Harris, how Trump treated the assassination strive and local weather exchange.
Musk later suggests he is “willing to serve” in govt. The Tesla CEO posted a picture of himself on X as a consultant of DOGE, an acronym for the Department of Government Efficiency.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk (R) jumps on degree as he joins former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump all the way through a marketing campaign rally at website of his first assassination strive in Butler, Pennsylvania on October 5, 2024.
Jim Watson | Afp | Getty Images
In early October, Musk seems at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania, the place Trump survived the sooner assassination strive.
Wearing a cap with the “Make America Great Again” slogan of the Trump marketing campaign, Musk stated Trump used to be the one candidate “to preserve democracy in America.”
Public presentations of alignment proceed, reinforcing Musk’s rising proximity to Trump’s political comeback.
November 2024
After Trump’s re-election, Musk is appointed to steer DOGE along former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The division is shaped by means of govt order with a venture to slash federal spending and paperwork.
“Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies,” Trump stated in a remark on the time.
Ramaswamy would later depart his function as co-lead of DOGE to pursue elected place of business.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump greets Elon Musk as he arrives to wait a viewing of the release of the 6th check flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket on November 19, 2024 in Brownsville, Texas.
Brandon Bell | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Maye Musk, Elon’s mom, later feedback that the 2 “just seem to be having fun.”
Two weeks after his election victory, Trump attended a SpaceX “Starship” rocket release in Texas along Musk.
January 2025
At Trump’s inauguration, Musk receives lavish reward from the president: “We have a new star. A star is born. Elon!”
Musk joins Trump’s CEO calls, along leaders from Amazon, Google, Meta, and others.
February–March 2025
White House Senior Advisor Elon Musk walks to the White House after touchdown in Marine One at the South Lawn with U.S. President Donald Trump (no longer pictured) on March 9, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Samuel Corum | Getty Images News | Getty Images
In early March, Trump tells participants of the Cabinet that they’re in control of the respective companies and departments they oversee — no longer Musk. The tech wealthy person later posts on X that the assembly used to be “very productive.”
Trump turns the White House garden right into a Tesla showroom and defends Musk as the electrical car maker incurs a world backlash.
U.S. President Donald Trump and White House Senior Advisor, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk sit down in a Model S at the South Lawn of the White House on March 11, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Andrew Harnik | Getty Images News | Getty Images
“He’s built this great company, and he shouldn’t be penalized because he’s a patriot,” Trump stated on the time.
The president additionally described the vehicles as “beautiful” and stated he would purchase one.
April 2025
Musk pledges to “significantly” scale back his involvement in DOGE over the approaching weeks.
Reports emerge of Musk being distracted and over-stretched, fueling considerations amongst Tesla and SpaceX traders.
Tesla stocks
At the time of Tesla’s first-quarter income in April — which overlooked expectancies — the EV maker’s stocks had been down greater than 40% over the 12 months thus far.
May 2025
In an interview with CBS News, Musk publicly criticizes Trump’s signature tax and spending invoice, announcing it counters the paintings he is been doing to scale back wasteful govt spending.
“I was, like, disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decrease it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” he stated.
Trump spoke back to the critique through announcing he wasn’t proud of sure facets of the invoice, “but I’m thrilled by other aspects of it. That’s the way they go.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks along U.S. President Donald Trump to journalists within the Oval Office of the White House on May 30, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images
One day after airing his complaint of Trump’s invoice, Musk leaves the White House. He thank you the president for the chance to run DOGE.
Trump holds a farewell tournament for Musk, commending his paintings in govt however says he’s “not really leaving” and can infrequently go back to the White House as a result of DOGE is his “baby.”
June 2025
Musk lashes out additional at Trump’s spending invoice, calling it a “disgusting abomination” that may explode federal funds deficits. “Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it,” Musk stated on X.
The complaint temporarily escalates into an all-out on-line brawl between Trump and Musk, with the pair buying and selling barbs over the process a number of hours.
The U.S. president threatened to drag again billions of greenbacks in govt contracts for Musk’s corporations, whilst the Tesla CEO urged Trump may no longer have gained the election with out him.
“Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore,” Trump stated.