The Wall Street Journal reports today: "President Trump and Elon Musk, who publicly clashed last year, have now reconciled. Musk plans to invest at least $100 million to support the Republican Party's preparations for the 2026 midterm elections, with funds primarily allocated to voter mobilization efforts. Vice President JD Vance and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles played key roles in mending their relationship; Musk’s decision to abandon plans for forming a third political party has also removed a major obstacle to reconciliation. Charlie Kirk, who passed away earlier, had also worked tirelessly to bring the two together—both men even spoke at his memorial service.
Additional signs of warming relations include Trump’s reappointment of Musk’s ally Jared Isaacman to lead the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Musk’s scheduled return to the White House in November for a dinner event.
Today, the two communicate roughly once a month. However, sources indicate that Trump does not expect their relationship to return to its former closeness. Although pledging at least $100 million in contributions, Musk intends to remain low-key politically, avoiding the high-profile political involvement he exhibited during the 2024 presidential election campaign."
Commentary: The reconciliation between Trump and Musk is fundamentally a mutually beneficial political-business alliance. There are no permanent grudges—only enduring calculations of self-interest. For Trump, Musk’s abandonment of a third-party bid prevents vote splitting, while the infusion of tens of millions in funding strengthens the GOP’s position in the upcoming midterms. For Musk, rebuilding ties offers potential benefits such as more lenient industry regulation and favorable NASA-related projects, securing space for Tesla and SpaceX’s future growth. While both sides have resumed regular communication and sent numerous friendly signals, Trump understands that their past intimacy cannot be fully restored, and Musk, having learned from past mistakes, has chosen a quieter role in politics, avoiding public spectacle. This partnership rests firmly on pragmatic interests—and should policy disagreements arise down the line, the possibility of renewed friction remains very real. The Democratic Party views this relationship as a textbook example of backdoor deals between power and capital, criticizing it as a blatant transaction of interests.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1873554663322633/
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