President Donald Trump met with Elon Musk at the memorial service for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, reuniting one of the most consequential parings in recent political history after their dramatic falling out.

"Elon came over and said hello," Trump told reporters after the Sept. 21 event in Arizona, adding: "I thought it was nice, he came over, we had a little conversation."

Musk posted a photo of himself with Trump at the hourslong memorial on social media and wrote "for Charlie." The White House also posted a photo of the pair on social media with the same message. The former colleagues sat next to each other and shook hands.

The richest man in the world, Musk helped power Trump's victory in 2024, spending nearly $290 million to help the president and Republicans get elected. He become one of Trump's closest advisers during the early days of his second administration, sleeping in the Lincoln Bedroom at the White House as he worked to overhaul federal agencies through the Department of Government Efficiency.

Led by Musk, DOGE instituted mass layoffs and shuttered whole agencies in a dramatic shakeup of the federal government. But Musk clashed with some in the administration and, ultimately, with Trump. He left the administration and the pair had a very public break in June.

Musk and Trump exchanged barbs online, with the billionaire criticizing the president's signature new law, saying his name is mentioned in the government's files on Jeffrey Epstein and announcing the creation of a new political party to compete with Republicans and Democrats. Trump said Musk had gone "completely 'off the rails'" and called him "a TRAIN WRECK" in a social media post.

In June, Kirk said he wanted Trump and Musk to repair their relationship and predicted it would happen.

"I know both of them quite well. I think that at some point they're going to reconcile," Kirk told Megyn Kelly on her show this summer, adding: "I think that they're much stronger together."

So, did Trump and Musk make up?

Trump said Sept. 21 that he was glad the former DOGE leader approached him at Kirk's memorial. "We had a very good relationship," the president told reporters aboard Air Force One. "But it was nice that he came over."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump has 'nice' meeting with Musk at Kirk memorial after dramatic falling out

Reporting by Zac Anderson, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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