At Sunday’s memorial service for Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, a moment of unity emerged between two of America’s most powerful figures.
President Donald Trump and Tesla chief executive Elon Musk, who only months ago were trading insults over government spending, sat side by side in the packed arena. Cameras captured the two men speaking in what appeared to be a cordial exchange. A photo from the event showed them shaking hands.
The display came after a summer of very public clashes. Musk had criticized the reconciliation package Trump signed into law on July 4, and Trump had fired back on his social media platform.
Their feud intensified in late June, when Musk suggested that if Republicans failed to rein in spending, he might form a third party to take on both political establishments. “In a June 30 post on X, Musk threatened to start a third party to address government spending,” the report noted.
But the bitterness seemed far away during Sunday’s memorial for Kirk, who himself had called for reconciliation. On the July 1 episode of The Charlie Kirk Show, the conservative activist said, “It’s all part of the Trump story. Sometimes things get very heated and then there’s a reconciliation — there’s a rapprochement. And we all agree that we want Elon Musk and we want Donald Trump to work collaboratively.”
Kirk’s vision appeared to be realized. His memorial service brought Trump and Musk together, a reminder of his outsized influence on the conservative movement and his role as a bridge-builder.
The stakes of their partnership are not merely symbolic. Musk has been leading the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, a new agency Trump established by executive order on January 20.
The department has already identified $206 billion in savings since its creation, which comes out to an average of $1,279.50 per taxpayer, according to its website. It is one of Trump’s most tangible efforts to cut waste in Washington and put taxpayers first.
For conservatives, Trump and Musk represent two wings of the same reformist spirit: Trump, the political leader who reshaped the Republican Party, and Musk, the business innovator who has pledged to take on bloated government spending. Their unity could prove formidable.
Kirk himself often pointed to Trump’s capacity for reconciliation. On his show in early July, he reminded listeners that the president had healed old rifts before. “The best example in front of us is, as we’re doing this program, President Trump is hanging out with Ron DeSantis,” Kirk said.
The Florida governor and Trump were bitter rivals during the 2024 Republican primaries, with the two men trading personal attacks at rallies and in debates.
But the relationship has since thawed. Kirk recounted a recent event at “Alligator Alcatraz,” an immigration detention facility, where Trump and DeSantis appeared together. “They were the worst of enemies imaginable … They were just attacking each other relentlessly,” Kirk said. “And now they’re taking questions on the tarmac and — in his own words, he says that his relationship with Ron DeSantis is a ‘ten.’”
The same pattern now appears to be unfolding with Musk. A feud gave way to a handshake, and in conservative politics, that is often the beginning of something larger.
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