The event was the first time Trump and Musk appeared together publicly since Musk’s tense resignation from his role as a special government adviser.
Months after their highly publicized split, U.S. President Donald Trump and his former close ally Elon Musk were seen together again at a memorial event for right-wing activist Charlie Kirk on Sunday. The two were seated side by side in the stands of a stadium in Glendale, Arizona, where tens of thousands had gathered to honor Kirk, who was fatally shot on September 10 at a university in Utah.
Footage from the event showed Trump and Musk engaged in what appeared to be a friendly conversation. It was their first public appearance together since Musk — who formerly headed Trump’s informal “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) — stepped down from his role as a special government employee amid reported tensions.
Musk shared a photo on his X account showing himself seated next to Trump at the memorial, captioned simply: “For Charlie.” The White House later reposted the image.
Musk contributed over $270 million to Trump’s presidential campaign, actively campaigning across key battleground states on his behalf.
Following the election, Musk led the launch of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a controversial initiative that cut thousands of government jobs identified by the agency as contributing to waste, fraud, and abuse.
After leaving DOGE, Musk posted a series of critical messages about Trump on social media, prompting the President to threaten the termination of federal contracts with Musk’s companies.
Musk split from Trump over the White House’s signature tax and spending bill, which he denounced as “utterly insane and destructive.” Following the fallout, Musk announced plans to launch his own “America First” party, though little has come of the effort to date.
Harsh Kumar