"Te Ma" mutual tearing flippening: Media reports that Musk privately called Trump late at night to publicly express regret, with Vance being the key driver of reconciliation.

Trump said Musk did a great job in backtracking, feeling that Musk is deeply remorseful for what he said.

Written by: Li Dan

Source: Wall Street Journal

Last Thursday's war of words, which made global headlines, seems to end in a reconciliation: after Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk expressed his remorse, US President Trump gave him a "thumbs up" for his remorse. Some media said that before Musk publicly repented, he had privately called Trump late at night, and US Vice President Vance and White House Chief of Staff Wiles were the key promoters of the "Tema" reconciliation.

On Wednesday, June 11, Eastern Time, Trump expressed approval of Musk's recent apology during a phone interview with the media, stating, "I think he did a good job." However, Trump did not clearly state whether he was willing to reconcile with Musk and put aside past grievances.

In a media interview recorded on Monday, which was announced earlier, Trump expressed the possibility of reconciling with Musk, stating that he does not "blame" Musk for the breakdown of their relationship, but Musk's criticism of the tax cuts and spending bill proposed by the Republicans – the so-called "Big Beautiful" bill – has made him "a bit disappointed."

Trump said:

"Such things happen from time to time, I won't blame him for anything."

"I have no resentment. I am really surprised that this happened. He (Musk) is pursuing an extraordinary bill. ... He just - in fact, I think he feels very guilty about what he said to himself."

When asked if he could reconcile with Musk, Trump said, "I think I can."

Musk's Journey from Deleting Posts and Supporting Free Speech to Clearly Expressing "Regret"

Before Trump's statement, Musk made the clearest sign of regret since his public split with Trump last week.

According to CCTV News, Musk stated on his social media platform "X" in the early morning of the 11th Eastern Time that he regrets some of the posts he made about Trump last week, saying that "the content was too much."

!

Elon Musk and Donald Trump publicly clashed on social media last Thursday over the "Big Beautiful" bill. Musk reiterated that the bill was "disgusting," accusing Trump of being "ungrateful," and even dropping a bombshell by claiming Trump had connections to the Epstein case, sharing related old news. Trump was furious, threatening to cancel government contracts and subsidies received by Musk's companies, and responded that the allegations regarding Epstein were "old news," denying any association.

However, Musk has since shown a posture of easing relations with Trump. Over the weekend, Musk deleted several critical posts targeting Trump, including those calling for his impeachment and those suggesting Trump's involvement in the Epstein case.

Wall Street Journal mentioned that Musk recently retweeted Trump’s post about the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles, supporting Trump’s criticism of the California governor and the Los Angeles mayor. He also retweeted Vice President Pence’s condemnation of the Los Angeles riots, emphasizing that "the President will not tolerate violence."

Media: Before contacting Trump on Monday, Musk privately discussed a "ceasefire" with Vance on Friday.

On Wednesday, media reports revealed that Trump received a call from Musk late on Monday night. This call prompted Musk to publicly state early Wednesday morning that he regretted attacking Trump last week. The media learned that before contacting Trump, Musk privately discussed ways to achieve a "truce" between himself and Trump with U.S. Vice President Pence and White House Chief of Staff Meadows last Friday.

Earlier on Wednesday, other media reported that Vance and Wiles played a key role in encouraging Musk to repair his relationship with Trump. The media cited sources familiar with the matter, stating that during a call last Friday, Vance and Wiles urged Musk to end his dispute with Trump.

The media stated that Vance maintained a low-key involvement during the dispute between Musk and Trump, supporting Trump while avoiding direct criticism of Musk, which allowed him to act as a mediator. This strategy reflects Vance's dual positioning as both an "attacker" and a problem solver as vice president.

In fact, Trump recently adopted a seemingly more moderate attitude when mentioning Musk.

According to CCTV News, on June 9, this Monday, Trump seemed to soften his attitude in response to questions related to Musk. He wished Musk "all the best" and expressed hope to end the public dispute with Musk. He might move his Tesla cars out of the White House but promised to continue keeping the Starlink service at the White House. Trump mentioned that he had not considered the issue of calling Musk for the time being, but if Musk reached out proactively, he would not refuse a conversation.

In response to Trump's remarks on Monday, Musk later reacted. CCTV mentioned that he left a comment under the video of Trump's speech, which was a red heart emoji. CCTV also cited local media reports stating that Musk's anger is subsiding and he may seek to repair his relationship with Trump.