WASHINGTON ‒ He departed the White House six months ago in rage amid an epic feud with Donald Trump punctuated by accusations the president's name is in the undisclosed Jeffrey Epstein files.

But Elon Musk returned on Nov. 18 much quieter than he left as the heated rivalry has cooled between the world's richest man and the president of the United States.

Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, was one of the nearly 140 guests at a White House dinner for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, where Trump touted Saudi investments pledged for American companies and a partnership on nuclear energy. It was Musk's first public appearance in Washington since he stepped down as the head of Trump's government-slashing Department of Government Efficiency in May.

Sporting a bowtie and black tuxedo, Musk fit right in with the dinner's other rich and famous guests that included Apple CEO Tim Cook, Dell CEO Michael Dell, golfer Bryson DeChambeau, soccer star Christian Ronaldo and several Trump family members.

It was as if Musk's bitter back and forth with Trump nearly six months ago never happened.

"He had a bad spell. He had a bad period. He had a bad moment," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Oct. 27. "It was a stupid moment in his life. Very stupid. I'm sure he'd tell you that. But I like Elon, and I suspect I'll always like him."

From a bromance to rivalry, and now a friendship on the mend

At the height of their friendship, Musk was staying overnight at the White House, riding with Trump on Air Force One and taking center stage at Cabinet meetings as the top official steering DOGE, which worked to dismantle federal departments and lay off federal workers.

But an all-out-war between the two men erupted in early June as Musk left DOGE and worked to defeat Trump's signature legislation known as the "One Big Beautiful Bill."

Musk, on the social media platform he owns, X, said Trump wouldn't have won his 2024 election if not for the money he pumped into his campaign. Musk wrote that Trump's tariffs would cause a recession. He floated launching a new political party to challenge Trump and Republicans. And he said the Trump administration hadn't released the files related to Epstein, the disgraced financier and indicted sex trafficker, because Trump's name was in them.

Trump responded by threatening to end government contracts with Musk's companies. "Look, Elon and I had a great relationship," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office as the relationship blew up on June 5. "I don't know if we will anymore."

With their relationship seemingly on the mend, Musk took part in a discussion on advances in artificial intelligence and technology at a U.S.-Saudi Arabia investment forum in Washington that Trump also attended. Musk was joined at the talk by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.

Musk, who poured more than $300 million into the 2024 campaign to help Trump, last week endorsed Republican Rep. Byron Donalds in his race for governor of Florida.

Further marking his return to the political arena, the New York Times reported Musk is expected to attend a reunion this weekend in Austin, Texas, with dozens of DOGE alums as they reminisce on their efforts taking a wrecking ball to the federal government.

As for the third party Musk once promised to build ‒ the so-called America Party ‒ there's been no formal steps taken with the Federal Election Commission to launch what would have been an expensive and complicated endeavor.

Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.

Contributing: Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Elon Musk quietly returns to White House as feud with Trump fades

Reporting by Joey Garrison, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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