Vice President JD Vance is extending an olive branch to Elon Musk, urging the billionaire tech mogul to put aside differences with President Trump and return to the fold — warning that splitting from the MAGA movement is a mistake Musk can’t afford to make.
In a candid interview with *The Gateway Pundit*, Vance acknowledged Musk’s “complicated relationship” with the White House but emphasized just how pivotal the Tesla and SpaceX CEO had been to Trump’s 2024 victory.
“I don’t know that he would take my call right now,” Vance said with a chuckle, before adding that he hopes the drama cools off. “If you’re patriotic, you’re not trying to sink your knife in the back of the president, you’re not trying to betray the movement. I don’t care about these minor disagreements — I’m pretty big tent about this stuff.”
Vance, a staunch ally of Trump, warned Musk that breaking with the America First movement plays directly into the Left’s hands. “You’re not going to be on the Left, even if you wanted to be — and he doesn’t. They’re not going to have you back. That ship has sailed,” he said. “I really think it’s a mistake for him to try to break from the president.”
The vice president expressed hope that by the 2026 midterms, Musk will be back in the White House orbit. “My hope is, by the midterms, things are kind of back to normal,” Vance said.
The rift between Musk and Trump began in late May when Musk stepped away from his role influencing the administration through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). At the time, Trump spoke warmly of Musk, saying the billionaire “will always be with us, helping all the way.”
But the goodwill didn’t last. Musk soon blasted the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act — a sweeping legislative win for Trump — calling it “pork-filled” and a “disgusting abomination” over its effect on the deficit. His criticism was pointed, public, and relentless.
Despite Musk’s objections, Republicans pushed the bill through Congress, and Trump signed it into law on July 4. That’s when Musk went further, unveiling plans for a new “America Party” as a centrist alternative to the two-party system — an idea Trump immediately dismissed as “ridiculous.”
On Truth Social, Trump expressed disappointment in Musk’s sudden turn: “I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely ‘off the rails,’ essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks.”
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles later called the public falling-out “very troublesome,” noting Musk’s unique contributions to the administration. “The president was very kind to him, and Elon had so much to offer us — knowledge, connections, technologies. It was a great thing when it was great, but had a very troublesome ending,” she said.
For Vance, the path forward is simple: unity. “We’ve got a country to save,” he said, implying that personal grievances and ego battles must take a backseat to the larger mission. And while Musk may be off in his own orbit for now, the vice president is betting the world’s richest man will eventually find his way back to MAGA’s gravitational pull.
