Washington, June 7: As the Republican Party braces for aftershocks from President Donald Trump’s spectacular clash with Elon Musk, lawmakers and conservative figures are urging détente, fearful of the potential consequences from a prolonged feud.At a minimum, the explosion of animosity between the two powerful men could complicate the path forward for Republicans’ massive tax and border spending legislation that has been promoted by Trump but assailed by Musk.
“I hope it doesn’t distract us from getting the job done that we need to,” said Rep. Dan Newhouse, a Republican from Washington state. “I think that it will boil over and they’ll mend fences.”
As of Friday afternoon, Musk was holding his fire, posting about his various companies on social media rather than torching the president. Trump departed the White House for his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, without stopping to talk to reporters who shouted questions about his battle with Musk.
“I hope that both of them come back together because when the two of them are working together, we’ll get a lot more done for America than when they’re at cross purposes,” Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday night.
Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, sounded almost pained on social media as Trump and Musk volleyed insults at each other, sharing a photo composite of the two men and writing, “But … I really like both of them.”
“Who else really wants @elonmusk and @realDonaldTrump to reconcile?” Lee posted, later adding: “Repost if you agree that the world is a better place with the Trump-Musk bromance fully intact.”
So far, the feud between Trump and Musk is probably best described as a moving target, with plenty of opportunities for escalation or detente.
One person familiar with the president’s thinking said Musk wants to speak with Trump, but that the president doesn’t want to do it – or at least do it on Friday. The person requested anonymity to disclose private matters.
In a series of conversations with television anchors Friday morning, Trump showed no interest in burying the hatchet. Asked on ABC News about reports of a potential call between him and Musk, the president responded: “You mean the man who has lost his mind?”
Trump added in the ABC interview that he was “not particularly” interested in talking to Musk at the moment.
Still, others remained hopeful that it all would blow over.
“I grew up playing hockey and there wasn’t a single day that we played hockey or basketball or football or baseball, whatever we were playing, where we didn’t fight. And then we’d fight, then we’d become friends again,” Hannity said on his show Thursday night.