Entrepreneur Elon Musk issued a mea culpa of sorts to President Donald Trump after the two men got into a fiery social media war of words last week.
Musk has been an outspoken critic of Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” arguing that it does too little to curtail wasteful government spending. He also chided Congress for not codifying recommendations made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, which he spearheaded.
But the situation escalated when Musk went after Trump personally, even going so far as to claim the president’s name appears in the Jeffrey Epstein files.
“I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far,” Musk said in a Wednesday post on X.
I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 11, 2025
The reactions to Musk’s post were mixed. Most who affiliate with the MAGA movement appeared to forgive him, while others still criticized him.
Actor Isaiah Washington argued that Musk’s post didn’t go far enough. “A regret is not a real apology. It’s a regret. This is not a mea culpa, but you know that already,” he wrote.
And I thought you would be assassinated before you posted this. A regret is not a real apology. It's a regret. This is not a mea culpa, but you know that already.
— The Disruptor💥 (@IWashington) June 11, 2025
The Daily Wire’s Megan Basham praised Musk’s post, saying it “shows integrity.”
Shows integrity Elon, thank you!
— Megan Basham (@megbasham) June 11, 2025
Pastor Darrell Scott, a close friend of the president, asked, “Which posts does he regret, and which posts does he not regret?”
Which posts does he regret, and which posts does he not regret? We need clarification. #YeMusk https://t.co/94merARFI4
— Dr.Darrell Scott (@PastorDScott) June 11, 2025
A recent YouGov/Economist poll conducted after the exchange showed that Musk’s support dropped. This is especially true among Republican voters, whose support for Musk dropped from 67 percent to 28 percent. About 74 percent of GOP voters sided with Trump while only six percent took Musk’s side.
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