Musk Thanks Trump After Multiple Shout-Outs at White House Dinner With Saudi Prince

In a sign of thawing tensions following a months-long public feud, Elon Musk extended a gracious "thank you" to President Donald Trump on social media after the commander-in-chief playfully reminded the tech billionaire of his good fortune during a high-profile White House dinner with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The event, held on November 18, 2025, in the East Room, brought together global power players including Apple CEO Tim Cook, Nvidia's Jensen Huang, and soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo, underscoring Trump's push to deepen U.S.-Saudi economic ties amid discussions of $600 billion in investments and arms deals like 300 American-made tanks. During his remarks, Trump spotlighted Musk three times, quipping, "You are so lucky I am with you, Elon," while touting tax deductions for domestic electric vehicles, before adding with a grin, "Has he ever thanked me properly?" The Tesla and SpaceX CEO, who had clashed bitterly with Trump over budget plans earlier in the year, responded promptly with X: "I would like to thank President Trump for all he has done for America and the world," attaching photos of himself alongside Trump, bin Salman, and Huang at the candlelit black-tie affair.

Musk's attendance marked his first White House visit since abruptly departing his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on May 30, 2025, after a six-month stint as a special government employee aimed at slashing federal spending. The duo's bromance had soured quickly post-exit, with Musk lambasting Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill"—a massive spending package—as fiscally irresponsible, prompting Trump to strip Musk of advisory privileges and label him a "distraction". Their rift played out in fiery X exchanges and media leaks, echoing past spats over immigration policy and EV subsidies, but recent overtures, including a September memorial handshake, hinted at reconciliation. The Saudi-hosted dinner, part of a broader U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum, provided the perfect stage for this reset, with Trump brushing aside past controversies like the 2018 Jamal Khashoggi murder—dismissing it as "things happen"—to focus on lucrative partnerships in tech, defence, and energy.

The olive branch extends beyond the dinner table, as Musk's inner circle gears up for a lavish reunion bash in Austin, Texas, this weekend to toast his DOGE tenure and collaborative highs with the administration. According to a New York Times report, dozens of former DOGE staffers—recruited from Musk's xAI, Tesla, and SpaceX teams—will converge at a luxury hotel where the billionaire often retreats to a penthouse suite, with festivities organised by key lieutenants spanning two days of networking, toasts, and strategy sessions. Musk is slated to attend, though his schedule remains fluid amid Tesla's Cybercab unveil and Starship test flights, potentially drawing surprise guests from Trump's orbit like DOGE co-architect Vivek Ramaswamy. The event symbolises a chapter close for Musk's foray into government reform—where he claimed $2 trillion in projected savings through AI audits and bureaucracy trims—while signalling his pivot back to private-sector dominance, bolstered by renewed White House access.

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This buddy-up arrives as Trump ramps up his second-term agenda, leveraging Musk's influence for tech-driven initiatives like AI deregulation and space commercialisation, even as critics decry the Saudi ties amid human rights concerns. On X, reactions ranged from MAGA cheers of "Elon's back in the fold!" to sceptics warning of cronyism, with the post garnering over 5 million views. As the Austin soiree looms, it could foreshadow deeper alliances, perhaps even Musk's return to informal advisory roles, blending Silicon Valley innovation with Washington dealmaking in unpredictable ways.

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