Friends Again? Trump Pats Musk’s Belly At White House Event, Sparks Speculations — Watch

A video of US President Donald Trump patting Elon Musk’s belly at the White House has gone viral on social media. Musk was among the guests at a White House dinner to honour Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Musk’s attendance at the East Room gathering is particularly noteworthy, considering how he officially stepped down from his government role just months earlier. Previously, Musk led the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a controversial initiative aimed at restructuring federal agencies to boost productivity and cut waste.

Trump and Musk fell out after a bromance that grabbed headlines. Musk criticised Trump’s extensive tax and spending legislation on social media, labelling it fiscally irresponsible, and announced plans to launch a new political party. In response, Trump threatened to withdraw the substantial federal subsidies enjoyed by Musk’s companies.

Analysts have since pointed out that this public feud, coupled with Musk’s far-right political statements, negatively impacted Tesla’s brand reputation, sales figures, and share price, Reuters reported.

The billionaire also vowed to launch his own political party. He introduced the America Party as a more sensible alternative to the entrenched Democratic and Republican parties.

Since their public falling out, Musk and Trump have seldom been seen together. The most recent occasion was in September when Musk was spotted exchanging a handshake with Trump at a memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk.​

At the White House event, President Trump delivered a speech in which he praised Saudi Arabia’s commitment to invest $1 trillion in the United States. He also announced the elevation of Saudi Arabia to the status of a “major non-NATO ally,” a move reflecting closer cooperation on both economic and military fronts.

Among the notable attendees at the dinner were Portugal’s football icon Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently plays for Saudi club Al-Nassr, and Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang.