Amid President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s bitter online war of words, key posts have been deleted from social media.
The most divisive post from Musk alleged that Trump is listed in the files related to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and that this is why they have not been fully released to the public. He did not provide evidence pertaining to this.
Musk made the allegation on Thursday, in a post shared on his social media platform, X (formerly Twitter).
Although things appear, for now, to be simmering down, Trump has made it clear he does not have plans to reconcile with Musk.
When asked on Friday night by reporters if he intends to speak with Musk—who until recently lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—the President gave a clear response.
“No I don’t have plans… I’m not even thinking about it,” Trump said on Air Force One. “I’m not really interested in that, I’m really interested in the country, and solving problems.”
However, when asked if he plans to take back the symbolic White House key that he gifted to Musk, Trump said that he has no intention of doing that.
“I don’t take things back, I gave him a key, he tried very hard,” the President told reporters, praising the efforts of DOGE.
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Trump also appeared to defend Musk against the New York Times’ reported allegations that the Tesla CEO regularly consumed ketamine, ecstasy, and psychedelic mushrooms when traveling with Trump on the campaign trail in 2024.
“I don’t want to comment on his drug use. I don’t know what his status is,” Trump said, when asked by reporters if he had concerns. “I read an article in the New York Times. I thought it was, frankly, it sounded very unfair to me.”
Trump’s Air Force One remarks, issued late on Friday, came hours after he told ABC News that Musk had “lost his mind.”
Meanwhile, although Musk’s Epstein-related allegation against Trump has since been deleted, the impact of the initial post continues to be felt.
The allegation spurred Democrats to chase the full unsealing of the Epstein files, prompting prominent lawmakers to sign a letter, accompanied by a press release titled “Is Trump Suppressing The Epstein Files?”
Trump’s connection to Epstein dates back decades. In a 2002 interview with New York magazine, he famously said that Epstein was “a lot of fun to be with.”
In July 2019, NBC News’ TODAY released unearthed video footage believed to be from 1992, which showed Trump hosting Epstein at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
But after Epstein’s 2019 arrest on federal sex trafficking charges, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office: “I had a falling out with him [Epstein]. I haven’t spoken to him in 15 years. I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you.”
