Tensions Spike — and Cool — Between Trump and Musk
The relationship between Donald Trump and Elon Musk is never boring, but in early June 2025, things got more dramatic than usual. What began as a pointed clash over legislative priorities escalated quickly into open shots. Musk fired off remarks suggesting Trump had ties to controversial figures, and Trump shot back on ABC News, declaring Musk had 'lost his mind.' Just as the spat threatened to spin out of control, signs of a truce appeared — not out of friendship, but more from political necessity.
This highly public feud wasn’t just about personality. The heart of the matter revolved around Trump’s giant legislative effort known as the One Big Beautiful Bill. This bill, a sweeping piece of policy, left out many ideas Musk champions. When Musk found those interests missing, he took things nuclear. In a moment that sent shockwaves through both tech and political circles, Musk threatened to end SpaceX’s Dragon resupply missions to the International Space Station (ISS). That single threat, coming from the person behind NASA’s most dependable supply runs, raised eyebrows everywhere.
De-Escalation on Social Media and in the West Wing
Turns out, it didn’t take much to dial things down. After a relatively unknown X (formerly Twitter) user posted that Musk should 'cool off,' he responded simply, “Ok, we won't decommission Dragon.” Just like that, the threat evaporated. Sometimes, a stray message online can do what whole teams of policymakers can't accomplish.
The White House, meanwhile, wasn’t taking any chances. Aides called Musk directly, seeking to lower the temperature and head off a distraction that was starting to overshadow Trump’s big legislative push. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the spat as 'an unfortunate episode' rooted in disagreement over the bill’s contents — nothing more, nothing less. On his end, Trump tried to move past the drama as quickly as possible. Speaking to POLITICO, he insisted, “It’s going very well, never done better.” That sounds like his usual, but the subtext was clear: get the focus back on policy, not on personalities.
The motivation for this quick cooling-off isn’t some newfound understanding, but control. Trump and his team are determined to keep the One Big Beautiful Bill moving forward without tech-world distractions. For Musk, there’s little benefit to being iced out of future negotiations — especially when so much of SpaceX’s business is enmeshed with what happens in Washington.
Even with public calm, don’t expect the Trump-Musk story to end here. They still fundamentally disagree about what the country's legislative priorities should be. But for now, the worst of the drama is offstage. The White House, eager to stay on message, will do what it takes to keep it that way — at least until the next big fight.
