Footage of the moment showed the tech billionaire approaching the US President and sitting in an empty seat beside him at the stadium in Glendale, before the pair shook hands and had a chat.
Asked about the encounter, Trump said: “Well, Elon came over and said hello.
“We had a good relationship, but it was nice that he came over.”
The White House followed suit, sharing a separate image of the meeting on the social media platform, which is owned by Musk, with the same caption.
The feud broke out in June, when Musk took to X to condemn Trump’s flagship tax and spending bill as a “disgusting abomination“.
As the fallout spiralled, Musk accused Trump of appearing in files relating to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, saying that is the “real reason they have not been made public” in a now-deleted post on X.
Maria Ryan, associate professor of American history at the University of Nottingham, said “the handshake was a sign of a possible rapprochement between Musk and Trump” but as both have “giant egos, a volatile relationship is always likely”.
“Musk’s own amplification of right-wing voices on his X platform is in tune with Trump’s attempts to stifle and repress liberal commentary on the Kirk murder.”
She said: “Both men are pragmatists and focused on doing what is needed to achieve their individual goals. Since the 1970s, the US right has used the term ‘co-belligerent’ to describe the practical need to work together on particular issues of mutual benefit, despite fundamental differences on others.”
Trump, left, Musk, centre, and House Speaker Mike Johnson at the memorial for Kirk (Photo: AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)She said: “The tech industry is very reliant on these. It recruits highly skilled and specialised workers from all over the world using these visas. Musk strongly disagrees with Trump’s approach to the visa issue because his own companies will be hit hard by these costs.”
He added: “I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend.”
She added: “Many businesses, especially in Silicon Valley, want to be able to recruit globally, whereas Trump wants them to hire American and is hostile to immigration. Musk may well now believe that the best way to influence Trump on the visa issue is to be closer to him again so that he has the President’s ear and can give a business perspective on the visa issue and perhaps influence the rollout of the new H-1B programme.
Suspicion lingers
“Trump and Musk will always have a relationship of mutual suspicion,” Mark Shanahan, associate professor of political engagement at the University of Surrey, told The i Paper.
“If Musk can be useful to Trump in the future he will be allowed back into the Trumpist project – as long as he remembers who’s the president.”
Asked what both parties have to gain from a closer relationship, he added: “Trump is driven by money which he gets through political power. Musk already has more money than most can conceive and wants to use it to gain power. Both are outsiders and understand they can buy fealty from those around them.
POTUS x @ElonMusk For Charlie. pic.twitter.com/Inaf8X81Gy
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 22, 2025But Richard Johnson, senior lecturer in US politics and policy at Queen Mary University of London, said he did not believe Musk and Trump’s relationship would be plagued by mutual suspicion. He explained that “Trump has shown himself able to make amends with people who have said very hostile things about him”.
“The psychological security that Trump has is that he is equally prepared to drop someone should they cross him further down the line.”
Citing the Lord’s Prayer in a post on X after Kirk’s memorial event, Musk said: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”.
Read Next
square US POLITICS AnalysisCharlie Kirk's memorial revealed the radical direction of Trump's Republican Party
Read MoreAsked about the significance of Musk’s religious connotations, Angelia Wilson, of the University of Manchester, said religious language, “particularly that of mainstream Protestant Christianity, has become the in-house, corporate, social responsibility language of the Republican Party”.
“Every politician and leading figure on the right knows that success depends on this linguistic fluency and a currency to communicate with and motivate constituents. The Kirk event this weekend was largely a performance to reassure constituents that ‘the faith community’ remains a part of the Maga agenda.”
Her remarks were backed by Shanahan, who said: “For both, religion is a tool they use – it’s good for other people and they’ll occasionally mouth the right words.
“However, the Bible is no more than a convenience to connect them to the devout evangelical core of Maga.”
Hence then, the article about pragmatists trump and musk are reunited they ll work together to beat left was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Pragmatists Trump and Musk are reunited – they’ll work together to beat left )
Also on site :