Trump & Elon Prove They're Still Not Seeing Eye To Eye After Charlie Kirk Memorial Reunion

Tech billionaire Elon Musk and Donald Trump went from BFFs to bitter enemies, with things really going south for them after July when Musk didn't support Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" and expressed dissatisfaction with Republicans. Two months later, the pair reunited at the memorial service for Charlie Kirk in Arizona on September 21. The two spoke briefly, and some said that it was Kirk who had essentially reunited them. On Air Force One as Trump was returning to Washington, D.C. after the memorial, someone asked, "Everyone's saying Charlie brought you and Elon back together, is that true?" via Forbes Breaking News. But Trump didn't seem on board with the idea that Kirk had brought the two of them back together, saying, "Elon came over to say hello, and no, it's nothing to do with that."

However, Musk didn't seem to have that same take. The day of the memorial, he posted a photo of the pair talking on X and captioned it, "For Charlie." Interestingly, the White House's official account seemed to be more in line with Musk than with the president's comments. A couple of hours after Musk made his post, the White House's X account posted a black and white photo of the two of them, writing: "POTUS x Elon Musk. For Charlie." The photo, which shows them from behind leaning close together with their heads nearly touching, was reposted by Musk.

Despite their different interpretations of events, it seems like the most positive interaction Trump and Musk have had in months. On Truth Social in July, Trump posted about Musk in particularly unflattering terms. "I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely 'off the rails,' essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks," he wrote.

While Donald Trump seemed dismissive of the idea that he and Elon Musk were reviving their bromance in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's death, he did seem pleased that his old pal made time for him. "I thought it was nice, you know. He came over. ... we had a very good relationship. It was nice that he came over."

Charlie Kirk had, in fact, wanted Elon Musk and Donald Trump back on good terms. In an appearance on Megyn Kelly's podcast in June, he talked about wanting to work to see Musk and Trump as buddies again. Though it doesn't sound like this quick conversation, at least in Trump's mind, is a signal that the two of them have fully reconciled. If there's anything Trump knows how to do (along with wear overly long red ties and unblended makeup), it's hold a grudge. In his speech at Charlie's memorial, while his widow Erika Kirk spoke about forgiveness, Trump took the opposite perspective, saying, "I hate my opponent and I don't want the best for them" (via BBC News).

Musk, for his part, said quite a few inflammatory things about Trump on social media as his relationship with the president seemingly came to an end, including a now-deleted post about Trump's name being in the Jeffrey Epstein files. While Trump may not have seen his reunion with Musk as anything special or anything to do with Kirk, some people on X seemed to think that it did seem like a positive sign that the two men were in the same place at the same time. One person said that seeing the two of them together was "a powerful moment of unity amidst recent tensions."