The longing for harmony comes amid a Republican sprint on Capitol Hill to finalize the Trump megabill — which Musk trashed — and as the party looks ahead to the 2026 midterm elections, a process the billionaire is threatening to shake up by suggesting he may go after lawmakers who support the package.
“I was with the president in the Oval Office yesterday afternoon as some of this was unfolding, and I can tell you, as he said in his own words, he was just, he was disappointed, and I was surprised by Elon’s sudden opposition,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters Friday when asked if Trump has any interest in mending fences.
“I hope they reconcile,” he added. “I believe in redemption. That’s part of my worldview, and I think it’s good for the party and the country if all that’s worked out.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) — a loyal Trump ally who also chairs the House’s Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, named similar to Musk’s brainchild Department of Government Efficiency — said the two should bury the hatchet in private rather than on public channels.
“I don’t think lashing out on the internet is the way to handle any kind of disagreement, especially when you have each other’s cell phones. So I hope this gets worked out,” Greene said.
“But I will tell you right now that people are going to be focused on making sure that we get the agenda that we voted for, and that’s President Trump’s agenda.”
The optimism is not limited to the House: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) called on his 70-year marriage to find advice for the two.
“I just heard Barbara Grassley say this disagreement and arguments btwn musk and Trump must end. I know she loves both musk and Pres Trump. I’d advise u to follow her advice,” he wrote on social platform X.
The Hill’s Mychael Schnell reports for TheHill.com.
