Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said President Donald Trump might “forgive” Elon Musk but won’t forget the “negativity” surrounding his exit from government ties.
Lutnick shared with NewsNation’s “Batya” that the tech billionaire had been one of Trump’s closest allies in his administration.
Lutnick Slams Musk
Lutnick said, “I think Elon Musk had that, he really earned the President’s friendship, admiration, and then in his departure, he expressed a part of himself that was very negative.”
He further added, “And I don’t think the president is going to forget that negativity.”
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$290 Million Campaign Investment Preceded Government Role
During Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, Musk and Trump forged a partnership, with Musk contributing over $290 million to support Trump and other Republican candidates, as per Federal Election Commission records. This financial backing resulted in Musk taking the lead of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a new initiative focused on minimizing waste, fraud, and misconduct within federal agencies.
Cabinet Tensions Led to Musk’s Departure
Tensions arose between Musk and other Cabinet members over his role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), straining his relationship with Trump. In May, Musk resigned from DOGE, criticizing Trump’s spending bill for “undermining the work that the DOGE team is doing,” and soon after called the legislation a “massive abomination” on X. Musk further fueled the rift by alleging that Trump’s name appeared in the Epstein files.
Future Relations Remain Cordial
Lutnick said Trump would be “friendly” to Musk moving forward. “[Trump] will be friendly and he will be nice, because the president is incredibly nice,” he continued. “But do I think he’s going to forget? I don’t.”
Trump and Musk recently reunited at Charlie Kirk’s memorial in Arizona, sparking reconciliation speculation. Since then, Musk has shown renewed support for Trump administration policies.
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