U.S. Vice President JD Vance is publicly courting Elon Musk, one of Donald Trump’s most prominent estranged allies, in a political soap opera that might rival Succession at this point! Vance is hoping for a midterm reconciliation despite the tech giant and former head of the Department of Government Efficiency’s highly publicized feud with the Trump-led White House.
“If you’re patriotic, you’re not trying to stick your knife in the back of the president,” Vance stated in an interview. “We have to kind of win with the whole movement together.” JD Vance’s political and timely message to Elon Musk was plain and simple: it’s time for a regroup under the MAGA banner, with or without residual grievances.
Yet, the rift is more than just an internal conflict. Its foundations lay in Donald Trump‘s strong rules, Elon Musk’s bruised ego, and the lethal chemistry between two arrogant men who thought of redefining the right wing.
The most recent escalation followed Musk’s criticism of Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” a comprehensive tax and spending plan that destroyed electric vehicle subsidies and clean energy incentives, which are the foundation of Musk’s business.
The CEO of SpaceX and Tesla saw it as a direct blow to his business model rather than a political slight.
Surely not one to back down, Donald Trump implied that Elon Musk’s businesses were essentially charity cases, claiming that without Washington’s financial favors, SpaceX, Tesla, and Starlink might not even be in business. Trump continued in his trademark manner, saying that Musk “would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa.”
By calling Musk a “dangerous alien” and even implying that SpaceX might be nationalized in order to “protect American interests,” Steve Bannon added fuel to the fire. According to Bannon, Musk’s techno-libertarian tendency is NOT revolutionary.
The MAGA infighting is wild, and will hopefully lead to an implosion of the cult. Elon Musk has now called Steve Bannon a “fat, drunken slob” and has called for him to “go back to prison for a long time”. pic.twitter.com/DeRSySz8B4
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) July 5, 2025
Elon Musk retaliated on X by labeling Bannon “a traitor to reason” and even proposing a revival of his derisive “America Party,” a political experiment with the goal to bring together suburban engineers, technocrats, crypto evangelists, and Silicon Valley libertarians in order to form a force that prevents Trump-style radical thinking.
In the middle of this political conflagration, JD Vance has smartly placed himself as the man with the olive branch.
He joked that Musk might not even pick up his phone before admitting that the “drama” between the Tesla CEO and the Trump White House was still very much alive. He quickly said that he was joking.
JD Vance framed the feud as a “minor” disagreement in relation to the movement’s larger mission, saying, “My hope is that by the time of the midterms, he’s kind of come back into the fold.” In keeping with Donald Trump’s admission that their conflicts are partially a result of Musk’s annoyances, he also gave Elon Musk credit for helping Republicans win previous elections.
The hidden meaning behind all this is that Elon Musk remains an essential player in the GOP’s high-stakes midterm strategy, and losing him to political exile would be a strategic blunder.
Aw! JD Vance Desperately Tries to Get Trump’s Attention by Jumping Higher Than Elon Musk: https://t.co/zXJWRdr08Q pic.twitter.com/oBfpI3NJL4
— Reductress (@Reductress) November 25, 2024
Only Musk knows if he will pick up the call. His recent statements are proof that he is very much at ease functioning as a political free agent, leveraging his tech and media platforms to exert influence outside of the conventional party system.
Nevertheless, JD Vance’s invitation is telling because, in spite of the jabs, the MAGA movement believes Musk is too powerful and well-connected to be ignored. A strategic consolidation ahead of the midterms may be indicated if he rejoins the group. Otherwise, the Trump-Musk controversy is likely to continue generating more media attention than actual policy victories.
The Gilded Age was the last time American politics featured this much billionaire drama; just that the railroads now have Wi-Fi!
