Vice President JD Vance called the ongoing feud between President Donald Trump and tech mogul Elon Musk a “huge mistake” during a wide-ranging interview Thursday with comedian Theo Von. Vance, while firmly backing Trump, expressed disappointment over Musk’s recent public attacks and held out hope for reconciliation between the two powerful figures.
“First of all, absolutely not — Donald Trump didn’t do anything wrong with Jeffrey Epstein,” Vance said in response to a now-deleted social media post from Musk accusing Trump of being on the Epstein files. “Whatever the Democrats and the media say about him, that’s totally B.S.”
Vance made it clear where his loyalties lie. “I’m the vice president to President Trump, my loyalties are always going to be with the president,” he said. But he also acknowledged Musk’s contributions, praising him as “an incredible entrepreneur” whose efforts to expose government waste and promote innovation have benefited the country. “I hope that eventually Elon kind of comes back into the fold. Maybe that’s not possible now because he’s gone so nuclear, but I hope it is,” Vance added.
When Von pressed Vance on why Musk had gone on the offensive, the vice president suggested the billionaire was overwhelmed by the backlash he’s faced since entering the political arena. “Elon’s new to politics … his businesses are being attacked nonstop, they’re literally like firebombing some of his cars,” Vance said. “I get the frustration there.”
Still, Vance was unequivocal in his view that Musk’s approach is damaging. “It’s a huge mistake for him to go after the president like that. If he and the president are in some blood feud, most importantly it’s going to be bad for the country…but I don’t think it’s going to be good for Elon either.”
The feud ignited earlier this week when Musk lambasted Trump’s recently passed “Big, Beautiful Bill,” calling it a “pork-filled Congressional spending bill” and “abomination” that would raise the national debt by $2.5 trillion. He also warned that Trump’s new tariffs could plunge the country into a recession.
Trump quickly fired back, suggesting Musk’s outrage was disingenuous. “Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody,” Trump said. “He had no problem with it. All of a sudden he had a problem — and he only developed the problem when he found out we’re going to have to cut the EV mandate.”
The conflict escalated when Musk posted — then deleted — an incendiary claim that Trump appeared in sealed Epstein court documents. The post, which many viewed as a dramatic escalation, marked a low point in the pair’s relationship.
Vance ended the conversation with a clear message: the country would be better off if Musk and Trump set aside their differences.
“My hope is, [Musk] comes back, says ‘look, made some mistakes, didn’t mean to say everything, let’s smooth it out and let’s all be friends,’” Vance said. “I care about the country, and I think the country’s better off under the president’s leadership, with Elon helping us out as opposed to fighting the administration.”
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