
Vice President JD Vance acknowledged that Elon Musk may have burned too many bridges to repair his standing with President Donald Trump, following a recent clash that escalated rapidly and publicly.
Vance found himself having to address Musk’s string of critical social media posts in real time while recording an episode of a podcast. Among Musk’s accusations was a claim that Trump appeared in the “Epstein files.”
Speaking on the podcast episode released yesterday, Vance condemned Musk’s comments, calling the outburst a serious miscalculation. “I’m always going to be loyal to the president, and I hope that eventually Elon comes back into the fold,” Vance said, with a portrait of Trump behind him. “Maybe that’s not possible now because he’s gone so nuclear.”
The fallout between Trump and Musk has grown increasingly hostile over the past week. The deteriorating relationship came to a head when Musk — who previously held the role of Department of Government Efficiency chief — publicly criticized Trump, dredging up Epstein-related allegations and even suggesting Trump should be removed from office.
Although Trump’s name has appeared in court-released documents tied to the Epstein case, no allegations of criminal conduct have ever been made against him in connection to Epstein.
Musk’s attacks seem to stem, at least in part, from his dissatisfaction with a major spending initiative endorsed by Trump. He claims the bill will significantly deepen the federal deficit. In response, Trump fired back, publicly mocking Musk’s mental state and hinting that the tech mogul’s government contracts might be in jeopardy.
A large number of Republican officials have stood behind Trump during the feud, including Vance, who made it clear where his loyalties lie. “If he and the president are in some blood feud, most importantly it’s going to be bad for the country, but I don’t think it’s going to be good for Elon either,” Vance told podcast host Theo Von.
Though Musk eventually removed the post accusing Trump of being part of the “Epstein list,” he has continued to reference the accusation indirectly in other posts.
Vance expressed disbelief that Musk would provoke such a high-stakes conflict. “I just think it’s a huge mistake for the world’s wealthiest man … to be at this war with the world’s most powerful man,” he said during the show.
{Matzav.com}