Elon Musk returned to the White House on Tuesday for a high-profile dinner with President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, signaling a public thaw in a relationship that had ruptured only months earlier.

Musk, who left the administration in May after publicly denouncing Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” appeared in a black tuxedo among nearly 140 guests in the East Room as the President promoted what he described as new Saudi investment pledges for American companies. His presence marked a sharp contrast from his departure six months ago, when he exited the White House amid a feud punctuated by social-media accusations that Trump’s name was in the undisclosed Jeffrey Epstein files, as reported by USA Today.

Trump had told reporters in late October that Musk had “a bad spell” and “a stupid moment in his life,” language he used while insisting he still liked the billionaire.

Musk, who leads Tesla and SpaceX, had written on X in June that Trump would have lost the 2024 election without his support and that “such ingratitude” had fueled the rift. The President at one point threatened to cut Musk’s government contracts, only to later post that he wanted Musk and his companies to “THRIVE.”

 

The return placed Musk back in the same building where he had once stayed overnight, flown aboard Air Force One, and taken a prominent role during Cabinet meetings in his capacity as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, commonly known as DOGE. The department was created to slash federal spending, an effort Musk said was undermined by Trump’s legislative package, which he warned would add trillions to an already ballooning U.S. national debt, according to Fox Business.

The dinner also added a new chapter to a reconciliation process that began in September at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service in Arizona, where Musk and Trump were seen shaking hands after what some outlets described as a “spectacular break-up.” Musk posted the photo with the caption, “For Charlie.”

 

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince has become a central figure in Trump’s foreign policy, and the White House dinner highlighted what the President claimed were new investments and nuclear-energy partnerships. Musk previously met the crown prince in May during a U.S.–Saudi investment forum in Riyadh, where Tesla highlighted its expansion into the Saudi market, according to Fox Business.

Guests at Tuesday’s dinner included Apple CEO Tim Cook, Dell CEO Michael Dell, golfer Bryson DeChambeau, soccer star Christian Ronaldo, and multiple members of the Trump family, Reuters reported.

Musk’s reappearance in Washington comes as he re-enters political and policy debates. Reuters reported that Musk is expected to participate in discussions on artificial intelligence and technology at another U.S.–Saudi investment forum in Washington, where Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is also scheduled to speak. Musk last week endorsed Republican Representative Byron Donalds in the Florida governor’s race.

The rivalry between Trump and Musk reached a peak in early June, when Musk publicly opposed the President’s signature legislation, claiming it would trigger a recession, and criticized Trump’s tariff plans. He also floated the possibility of creating a new political organization, the America Party, though The Dallas Express reported that the Federal Election Commission had yanked the filings, and Musk disavowed the party he said had been created in his name.

Musk’s political footprint remains sizable. He reportedly poured more than $300 million into Trump’s 2024 campaign, a role that had once cemented their alliance before the very public split. Their relationship has since realigned, and Musk is expected to join dozens of former DOGE officials for a reunion in Austin this weekend, Reuters reported.