Donald Trump Reportedly Confessed His Feelings Got Hurt After Elon Musk Posted Epstein Claims

President Donald Trump reportedly told his aides privately that he felt hurt by Elon Musk after their explosive 2025 feud, even as the pair now cautiously rebuild ties ahead of the 2026 US midterm elections.

The relationship deteriorated after Musk claimed on X that Trump's name appeared in files linked to Jeffrey Epstein, adding that this was 'the real reason they have not been made public.' The allegation was not substantiated.

The Daily Mail reported that Trump and Musk appear to have moved from open hostility towards a limited political truce.

According to sources quoted anonymously by the outlet, Trump's aides said the president accepts that Musk may once again help his political operation, but does not believe the two men will recover the closeness they enjoyed during the 2024 campaign and the early months of Trump's administration.

Trump appointed Musk to oversee the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, an effort to reduce federal spending and reshape parts of the US government. Musk became a regular presence around the White House and one of the administration's most prominent public supporters.

Then the partnership imploded. Musk criticised Trump's major spending and tax legislation, while Trump responded by questioning Musk's influence and suggesting that government support for his companies could be reviewed. The dispute moved rapidly from policy to personal attacks, with both men using their own social media platforms to trade accusations.

Trump and Musk's Epstein Claims Fallout

Musk's most serious intervention came when he alleged that Trump was named in Epstein-related files. 'That is the real reason they have not been made public,' Musk wrote on X.

Trump and Musk also disputed who had done more for the 2024 election campaign. Musk said, 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election,' while arguing that the president had shown 'such ingratitude.'

Musk spent hundreds of millions of dollars supporting Trump and aligned Republican groups during the campaign, according to election-finance reporting. The fallout looked final at the time. It was public, ugly and politically inconvenient for both men.

Musk Plans Fresh GOP Push

The thaw has been driven less by sentiment than by overlapping interests. Trump needs financial and organisational support as Republicans approach the midterms, while Musk retains business and political interests that benefit from access to the administration.

Back-channel efforts involving Vice-President JD Vance and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles reportedly helped create the conditions for a rapprochement. The two men have since resumed occasional conversations, with people familiar with the calls saying they speak roughly once a month about China, world events and artificial intelligence.

Musk is preparing to revive America PAC, the political organisation that helped mobilise conservative voters for Trump in 2024. Reports in July said the group plans to focus on door-knocking, digital advertising and direct mail aimed at voters who are less likely to participate in non-presidential elections.

People familiar with the strategy said that Musk intends to spend at least $100 million on a voter-turnout operation designed to help Republicans retain control of Congress.

James Blair, Trump's senior political adviser, described America PAC as an 'essential partner for our historic GOTV operation in 2024' and said its return would be 'a huge boost for Republicans across the country.'

America PAC's own spokesperson, Andrew Romeo, said the organisation was excited to work again with the Republican political operation. 'The president's political team and the rest of the GOP apparatus have built a top-notch operation that will put Republicans in a strong position to buck history and retain control of Congress this fall, and we're excited to again be part of the team,' he said.

The White House has also sought to present the relationship positively. A spokesperson said that Trump had built 'the greatest coalition in the history of American politics,' including 'patriots like Elon Musk who are deeply committed to preserving all of the historic accomplishments of this administration.'

For now, the political machinery is back in motion. The personal damage, however, appears harder to repair. The money may be welcome, the calls may have resumed, and the public language may have softened. But Trump's aides reportedly believe the old intimacy is gone, which is perhaps the one thing neither a PAC nor a carefully arranged truce can buy back.