Hold onto your hats, folks -- President Donald Trump just dropped a surprising olive branch to Elon Musk, despite their very public spat over a massive piece of legislation.

At a Tuesday Cabinet meeting, Trump addressed the rocky road he’s traveled with Musk, acknowledging past tensions over electric vehicle policies and a contentious bill, while hinting at a possible thaw in their once-chilly dynamic, as Fox News reports.

Let’s rewind to the beginning of Trump’s second term, when Musk was a prominent figure, acting as the unofficial head of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, as a special government employee.

Early Alliance in Government Efficiency

Musk was a regular at Cabinet meetings and public events alongside Trump, focusing on slashing federal overspending and tackling mismanagement -- efforts that drew fierce backlash from government workers and progressive lawmakers.

Trump has often lauded Musk’s contributions during those early days, crediting him with bringing a sharp eye to bureaucratic waste, even if it ruffled more than a few feathers on the left.

But the honeymoon didn’t last long, as cracks began to show by June when Musk took to social media to blast the One Big Beautiful Bill, a sweeping law signed by Trump in July covering taxes, immigration, energy, defense, and the national debt.

Public Feud Over Sweeping Legislation

Musk didn’t hold back on X, declaring the legislation would lead to the “BIGGEST DEBT ceiling increase in HISTORY,” a jab that cut deep into Trump’s signature policy win.

That wasn’t all -- Musk escalated the feud with a personal dig, posting that Trump was tied to some unsavory historical scenarios, a claim that fueled endless speculation and headlines.

Trump later pointed to policy disagreements as the root of their split, particularly his move to scrap electric vehicle mandates, a decision that directly hit Musk’s Tesla empire where it hurts.

Policy Clash on Electric Vehicles

In June, Trump signed resolutions rejecting California’s rules on diesel engines and electric vehicle sales, crowing that his signature would “kill the California mandates forever."

This move, while celebrated by many conservatives as a blow to overreaching state regulations, clearly widened the rift with Musk, whose business thrives on green tech incentives.

Yet, even after their June fallout, Musk wasn’t entirely in the opposition camp, offering praise for some of Trump’s actions, like a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Gaza in July.

Signs of a Possible Reconciliation

By September, the two were spotted together at a memorial service for Charlie Kirk, the late founder of Turning Point USA, signaling that bad blood might not run as deep as once thought.

Fast forward to November, and Musk was back in Trump’s orbit, joining a White House dinner alongside Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia and other high-profile business figures.

During the latest Cabinet meeting -- Trump’s ninth of this term, matching the total held by the previous administration over four years -- he mused on their relationship, suggesting there’s still room for mutual respect despite past disagreements.