According to Elon Musk’s father, Errol Musk, the recent conflict between his son and US President Donald Trump was caused by stress on both sides, and Elon’s choice to publicly criticise the president was a mistake.
Speaking to Russian media outlet Izvestia during his visit to Moscow, Errol downplayed the feud, calling it a minor issue.
The disagreement began last week when Elon Musk criticised Trump’s tax and spending bill on social media, labelling it a “disgusting abomination.” This sparked a heated exchange of insults between the two.
“They have been under a lot of stress for five months — give them a break,” Errol Musk said. “They are very tired and stressed, so you can expect something like this.”
Errol expressed confidence in Trump’s position, stating, “He’s the president; he was elected as the president. Elon made a mistake, I think. But he is tired; he is stressed.” He dismissed the fallout as “just a small thing” that would “be over tomorrow.”
Neither Elon Musk nor the White House provided comments outside normal U.S. business hours.
The situation escalated on Saturday when Trump declared their relationship “over” and warned of “serious consequences” if Musk funded Democrats running against Republican lawmakers who supported the tax and spending bill.
Despite the fallout, Musk had previously been a major financial backer of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and was appointed by Trump to lead an initiative aimed at reducing the federal workforce and cutting government spending.
