Trump-Musk 'bromance' is back? Viral photo fuels speculation

The internet is abuzz with speculation after Tesla CEO Elon Musk posted a picture on X of him having dinner with US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, captioning it, "Had a lovely dinner last night with @POTUS and @FLOTUS. 2026 is going to be amazing!”

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The photo seems to have been taken at an event at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, which added credence to online speculation about the duo rekindling their ‘bromance’ after their series of public spats online last year.

Public disagreements

Musk emerged as one of the largest political donors of the Republican Party during the 2024 election campaign, according to a Reuters report. Under the newly-elected Trump administration, Musk was appointed to advise on efforts to reduce federal spending. This included the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE.

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However, Musk stepped away from the role mid-2025 when criticism and tension arose around Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill”, which Musk called a “massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill” that was a “disgusting abomination".

Trump expressed his disappointment at Musk’s statements and said, "Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore.”

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Musk doubled down and claimed on X that, “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate," and hinted at the possibility of forming a new political party.

Patching up

As the year went by, towards late-2025, both parties seemed to soften their tone. Trump became gentler in his mentions of the Tesla CEO. In August, he told the media that Musk had "a bad moment" but was "a good person".

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They were also seen together at public events. In September 2025, they were spotted shaking hands at Charlie Kirk's memorial service in Arizona. Musk also attended a White House dinner in November last year, when Trump hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.