Billionaire Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump are on course to repair their ties after what was a public fallout months ago. At least their latest picture suggests so.
Late Saturday, the Tesla CEO shared a photograph wherein he was seated across a dinner table with Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. The image was taken at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
“Had a lovely dinner last night with @POTUS and @FLOTUS. 2026 is going to be amazing!” Musk wrote in the post.
Had a lovely dinner last night with @POTUS and @FLOTUS.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 4, 2026
2026 is going to be amazing! pic.twitter.com/1Oq35b1PEC
Musk was a key supporter of Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign. Following Trump's return to office in January 2025, the billionaire was appointed head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The relations deteriorated rapidly after Musk resigned from DOGE in May 2025 amid mounting criticism of the department's agenda.
Days later, Musk attacked the Trump-backed legislation known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” calling it a “massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill” and a “disgusting abomination.”
The feud escalated further when Musk posted, and later deleted, a post on X alleging Trump's name appeared in sealed convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein files.
The present detente followed Musk's praise of Trump, hours before the private dinner, after the US carried out a military operation in Venezuela.
How Nicolas Maduro Was Captured
On January 3, US forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores from Caracas. Maduro was flown out of the country aboard a US military aircraft. The US authorities accused the Venezuelan leader of being the front and centre of an international drug trafficking network. A $50 million reward for information leading to his arrest was also announced months ago.
Reacting to a picture of Maduro handcuffed and blindfolded, Musk congratulated Trump on X, writing, “Congratulations, President Trump! This is a win for the world and a clear message to evil dictators everywhere.”
Congratulations, President Trump!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 3, 2026
This is a win for the world and a clear message to evil dictators everywhere. https://t.co/GRI0XOxQFU
Hours after the operation, Trump said the US would “run” Venezuela until a "proper and judicious" transition was in effect. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later said Washington would not involve itself in Venezuela's day-to-day governance beyond enforcing an existing oil quarantine.
Musk's satellite internet company, Starlink, announced it would provide free broadband service to users in Venezuela through February 3. The company said service credits were being added proactively to both active and inactive accounts while it assessed regulatory conditions.
Starlink said that Venezuela remains listed as “coming soon” on its availability map. The SpaceX subsidiary provides internet access via low-earth-orbit satellites and requires customers to purchase separate hardware to connect.
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