In the wake of his public clash with President Donald Trump, billionaire Elon Musk changed his phone number — a move revealed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who says he’s now working to repair the rift between the two high-profile figures.
Speaking to the New York Post, Johnson said he discovered the number change after sending a long message to Musk during the uproar over Trump’s controversial “Big, Beautiful Bill.” “I sent him a long text message, and then his phone number changed,” Johnson recalled. “I realized I was just texting into the void — he never read it. So I’m hoping to meet him in person and make things right.”
Johnson admitted Musk had “ghosted” him after the feud, which erupted over the bill — a sweeping tax and spending package that slashed benefits for millions while cutting taxes for the wealthy. Musk was among the most vocal critics, calling the bill a “disgusting abomination” and warning it would drive up the deficit by $2.5 trillion.
The rift between Musk and Trump, according to Johnson, stemmed from “a multitude of factors.” He declined to speculate on the deeper motivations but expressed hope they could eventually reconcile. “Frankly, I think the president was open to that too, but there’s still tension,” he said.
Johnson said GOP officials have occasionally communicated with Musk through intermediaries, but direct contact has remained limited since the fallout.
The feud escalated on June 5, when Musk accused Trump of appearing in the Epstein files, writing on X: “Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files… That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!”
Although Musk later expressed “regret” for some of his posts and Trump said he held “no hard feelings,” tensions flared again after Musk launched his own “American Party,” calling the current system a “one-party” oligarchy corrupted by “waste and graft.” Trump dismissed the new party as “ridiculous” and even floated the idea of “looking into” deporting Musk back to South Africa.
In response, Musk hit back again — this time criticizing Trump’s attempt to downplay renewed scrutiny over the Epstein case. Reacting to a Truth Social post in which Trump urged people to stop talking about Epstein, Musk said: “Seriously. He said ‘Epstein’ half a dozen times while telling everyone to stop talking about Epstein. Just release the files as promised.”
Amid the drama, Johnson has tried to play mediator. He praised Musk’s brilliance but noted that policymaking isn’t necessarily the billionaire’s forte. “He’s a genius — he does things I can’t even wrap my head around. But legislation isn’t one of his specialties,” Johnson said.
He added that while Musk’s concerns about the national debt are valid, his reaction may have been exaggerated. “We can’t fix everything overnight, but we do have a long-term plan,” Johnson said. “And I believe it’ll reassure people like Elon who are truly worried about the country’s future.”
