LA protests bringing Musk and Trump closer after public spat?
What's the story
In a surprising turn of events, billionaire Elon Musk has softened his criticism of United States President Donald Trump. Just days after calling for Trump's impeachment and denouncing his "big, beautiful bill," Musk backed Trump's response to the Los Angeles riots. The protests, triggered by immigration-related detentions in a federal building on Friday, escalated into rioting, prompting swift federal intervention. Trump has since mobilized 4,000 National Guard and 700 Marines to crack down on unrest.
Support expressed
Musk supports Trump's decision to deploy National Guard
Musk reposted anti-riot messages on X (formerly Twitter) and called the protests violent. He also posted a screenshot of a Truth Social post from Trump that said California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass "should apologize to the people of Los Angeles." He even shared a photo of a masked man with a Mexican flag on a burning car, saying, "This is not ok."
Twitter Post
Musk denounces violent protests in LA
This is not ok pic.twitter.com/feOtg6f6ge
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 9, 2025
Political alignment
Musk reposts pro-Trump content on X
Furthermore, he reposted Vice President JD Vance's endorsement of Trump's tough stance on the LA riots and shared Senator John Fetterman's tweet calling the protests "anarchy and true chaos." An excerpt of the tweet read, "My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement."
Economic disagreement
Musk's public criticism of Trump's economic agenda
Despite the apparent thaw in their relationship, Musk had publicly criticized Trump's economic agenda just last week. He called the "One Big, Beautiful Bill" a "disgusting abomination," adding it was a "lobbyist-written disaster that will leave Americans crushed under mountains of debt." In response, Trump accused Musk of self-interest, saying he hated the bill because it cuts EV tax credits.
Social media cleanup
Musk deletes posts calling for Trump's impeachment
Interestingly, Musk has also removed some of his most incendiary posts about Trump. His viral post linking Trump to Jeffrey Epstein disappeared from X, as did a reshared post that called for Trump's impeachment. He also re-followed White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, a key figure in Trump's immigration policy, whom he had unfollowed during the feud.
Reaction
Trump says he wishes Musk well
Meanwhile, Trump has also sounded a slightly softer tone on Musk. At a White House event on Monday, he said, "We had a good relationship, I wish him well, very well." However, he did not say if he would pick up if Musk called. "I haven't really thought about it actually. I would imagine he wants to speak to me, I would think so," Trump said.