J.D. Vance hopes Elon Musk mends fences with Trump

Vice President J.D. Vance said it was a “huge mistake” for billionaire Elon Musk to go after President Trump, but he hopes the government-cutting entrepreneur “comes back into the fold.”

Mr. Vance, speaking on comedian Theo Von’s podcast, said he is “always going to be loyal to the president” as Mr. Musk and Mr. Trump torch their once-cozy relationship.

“I hope that eventually Elon kind of eventually comes back into the fold,” Mr. Vance said. “Maybe that’s not possible now, because he’s gone so nuclear, but I hope it is.”

Mr. Musk, who recently left his government position in the Department of Government Efficiency, spent the last few days trashing Mr. Trump’s tax-and-spending legislation for its impact on national deficits and debt. He is using Mr. Trump’s own words against him and accusing the president of lying.

Mr. Vance said Mr. Musk does not have to agree with everything in Mr. Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which is under debate in the Senate, but he might be missing the critical point of the legislation.

“The main purpose of the bill is to prevent the biggest tax increase,” Mr. Vance said.

The vice president said he thought Mr. Musk did a good job trimming the federal workforce and spending through DOGE but is “new to politics” and might be frustrated by attacks on Tesla and his other businesses. 

“I think part of it is this guy got into politics and has suffered a lot for it,” Mr. Vance said.

Mr. Musk endorsed the president after Mr. Trump suffered an assassination attempt during the campaign. He spent heavily to get him elected and was by his side constantly in the early days of the administration, making the breakup all the more bitter.

The breakup also poses risks for Mr. Musk’s businesses.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Mr. Trump said he was “very disappointed in Elon,” and that “I have helped Elon a lot.”

It is unclear if the relationship is mendable. Mr. Musk might have crossed the Rubicon by linking Mr. Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, the well-connected financier who police said killed himself in jail after he was arrested for sex trafficking.

Mr. Vance offered a blunt assessment of that claim.

“Donald Trump didn’t do anything wrong with Jeffrey Epstein,” Mr. Vance told Mr. Von.

Summing up, Mr. Vance said if Mr. Musk 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,” Mr. Vance said.