Strange Things About Donald Trump And Elon Musk's Friendship

It's no secret that 2024 was chock-full of surprises. Perhaps one of the most bizarre occurrences was the budding bromance between fellow billionaire businessmen Donald J. Trump and Elon Musk. Merely hours after the assassination attempt at the Trump rally shooting, the Tesla CEO penned a tweet wherein he threw his full weight behind Trump's 2024 presidential campaign: "I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery."

Since then, it appears the relationship between the unlikely pair is much more than just a professional one. Fresh off the heels of Trump's presidential victory, Musk seemingly became the president-elect's right-hand man, even becoming somewhat of a permanent fixture at Mar-a-Lago and effortlessly integrating himself into the famous Trump clan. But don't just take our word for it. On November 10, Don Jr.'s eldest daughter, Kai Trump, went as far as to declare that Musk had reached "Uncle status" in a now-viral tweet.

It should be noted, however, that both Trump and Musk are known for being highly volatile. Basically, their affection for someone can turn on a dime. At the very least, this famous friendship is strange. At worst, it's nothing more than a recipe for disaster. 

Way back in 2016, Donald J. Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk were light-years apart in terms of their political views. In fact, during the 2016 presidential election, Musk was so anti-Trump that he went on the record with CNBC stating that Trump "was not the right guy" for president. "He doesn't seem to have the sort of character that reflects well on the United States," he said. To make matters worse, Elon said that he believed it was Trump's opponent, Hillary Clinton, who had the "right" views. Yikes!

Interestingly enough, even after Musk's very public criticism, Trump invited him to participate in two of his advisory groups. At the time, Musk was careful to note in a tweet that joining the councils did not mean he agreed with the administration's actions. In the end, however, Musk's time serving in the groups proved to be short and sweet. Following Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris Agreement on climate change, Musk abruptly stepped down from his advisory role. "Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world," he declared in a bombshell tweet, signaling his resignation.

By 2020, Donald Trump and Elon Musk had found common ground in what they perceived as harsh and unnecessary restrictions due to the COVID-19 outbreak. As you may recall, in March of that year, Musk was forced to shutter his Tesla plant in northern California — a move that the CEO staunchly opposed. By May, things had gotten so heated that Tesla sued Alameda County, citing that the decision to extend the shelter-in-place order was unconstitutional. 

As you may recall, Trump also vehemently opposed the shutdowns that ensued amid the pandemic. In true Trump fashion, the then-president inserted himself into the Musk/Tesla  COVID-19 hullabaloo by way of a tweet calling on California to "let Tesla & @elonmusk open the plant, NOW. It can be done Fast & Safely!" In turn, Musk responded to the support with a simple "Thank you!" And just like that, a new friendship (with massive strings attached) was formed. 

Sadly, the goodwill between Donald Trump and Elon Musk proved to be fleeting. It all started in May 2022, when Musk told attendees at the All-In Summit that he was "a moderate, neither Republican nor Democrat." "I have voted overwhelmingly for Democrats, historically," he added. "Like, I'm not sure, I might never have voted for a Republican, just to be clear. Now, this election, I will." 

But Trump wasn't thankful for the vote and public endorsement. During a rally in Anchorage, Alaska, Trump took Musk's comment to task. "You know [Musk] said the other day, 'Oh, I've never voted for a Republican,'" he said. "I said, 'I didn't know that.' He told me he voted for me. So he's another bull**** artist." A few days later, Trump dug his heels in on Truth Social, criticizing Musk's "electric cars that don't drive long enough, driverless cars that crash, or rocketships to nowhere," saying the billionaire had come to the White House groveling for help (via Business Insider). "I could have said, 'Drop to your knees and beg,' and he would have done it," he wrote.

All squabbles aside, Elon Musk and Donald Trump signaled they had squashed their beef once and for all in November 2022. Musk made headlines when he took control of Twitter for the staggering price of $44 billion in October 2022. In true fashion, the businessman wasted zero time, immediately laying out his vision for Twitter as the new owner. But in a surprising move, one of his first orders of business was to reinstate Trump's Twitter account. As you may recall, the MAGA politician was ceremoniously ousted from Twitter on January 8, 2021. At the time, the social media company issued a statement about permanently banning Trump, citing the then-president's "glorification of violence" for the controversial move. Fast-forward to November 2022 and Musk issued a poll that found 51.8% of Twitter respondents believed the president's account should be restored. "The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated," the self-proclaimed Chief Twit declared.

Still, it wasn't until August 2023 that Trump actually popped back on the social networking site. His first post? Why, his infamous mugshot along with a link to donate to his presidential campaign and four words: "ELECTION INTERFERENCE. NEVER SURRENDER!," of course. Politico reported that Trump raised a whopping $7.1 million in the two days after his arrest, turning his viral mugshot into a hefty payday. No doubt, Trump's well-timed and carefully curated Twitter return played a crucial role in some of those earnings.

Following Donald Trump's victory, it appeared as though he and Musk were joined at the hip. Everywhere the president-elect was, Musk was sure to follow. As reported by The New York Times, post-election, Musk was even staying at one of Trump's cottages at Mar-a-Lago, merely a stone's throw away from Trump's personal residence at the resort. 

Alas, there's some rumbling that Trump is growing tired of his new playmate. "Trump does complain a bit to people about how Musk is around a lot," New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman said during an appearance on the "On with Kara Swisher" podcast. Shortly after Trump appointed Musk to head up the "Department of Government Efficiency" along with Vivek Ramaswamy, many began to murmur that it was really the SpaceX CEO who was pulling the strings to Trump's second presidential term and even referred to him as "President Musk." As one can imagine, Trump apparently wasn't thrilled with that assertion. "It definitely bothers him," Haberman said. "The 'President Musk' line was always going to be a way to get him. And I mean, Trump's not a wind-up toy, but there certainly are very specific things that can [anger] him. And that was one of them." It's TBD as to whether or not Trump will be rolling up Musk's welcome mat anytime soon.