Donald Trump has once again targeted Elon Musk, months after seemingly mending fences with the billionaire head of Tesla. During a press briefing aboard Air Force One on Monday morning, as Trump embarked on a trip to Asia, he was questioned by reporters about the current state of his relationship with Musk following their notable disagreement earlier this year.

At the onset of Trump’s second term, Musk was appointed to lead the Department of Government Efficiency. His tenure was marked by contentious decisions, including the shutdown of USAID and other government-funded foreign aid programs. Musk departed from the administration in May, voicing his disapproval of Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ and later accusing the former president of being associated with the Jeffrey Epstein list.

Despite their past discord, Trump and Musk were seen reconciling at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service in September. The two were photographed shaking hands while seated together in an Arizona stadium. Reflecting on their encounter, Trump remarked to reporters, “I think it’s good. You saw that during Charlie’s beautiful tribute. Elon came over. It’s good with Elon. I like Elon. I’ve always liked Elon. Elon’s good.”

Trump noted that he has spoken to Musk ‘on and off’ but very ‘little since settling their differences at Kirk’s memorial. ‘Look, he’s a nice guy. And he’s a very capable guy. I’ve always liked him,’ Trump added. ‘He had a bad spell, he had a bad period, he had a bad moment. It was a stupid moment in his life. Very stupid, I was sure I’m sure he’d tell you that. But I like Elon and I suspect I’ll always like him.’

Reports about Musk’s falling out within Trump’s inner circle began to surface shortly after his departure from DOGE. Musk allegedly shoved Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent following a heated argument in the White House in April over the billionaire’s failure to cut a trillion-dollars from the federal budget.

Unofficial Trump adviser Steve Bannon told the Washington Post that Bessent told Musk: ‘You’re a fraud. You’re a total fraud.’ Musk responded by shoving his shoulder into Bessent, leading the cabinet secretary to strike back before several people broke up the scuffle. Trump, at the time, reacted to the fight by stating, ‘This is too much,’ according to Bannon.

The president began referring to Musk as a ‘big time drug addict’ during conversations with other White House officials in June, according to the New York Times. Back in May, reports indicated that Musk was consuming Ketamine, ecstasy, and psychedelic mushrooms while campaigning for Trump in 2024.

Musk reportedly told associates that he was taking so much ketamine that he had to travel with a daily box holding 20 pills, including Adderall. The Tesla CEO donated a quarter of a billion dollars to a major pro-Trump super PAC during the 2024 election.