Vance says Musk making a 'huge mistake' in going after Trump but also tries to downplay the attacks

Vice President JD Vance said Elon Musk was making a "huge mistake" going aft President Donald Trump successful a tempest of bitter and inflammatory societal media posts aft a falling retired betwixt the 2 men.

But the vice president, successful an interrogation released Friday aft the precise nationalist stroke up betwixt the world's richest antheral and arguably the world's astir powerful, besides tried to downplay Musk's blistering attacks arsenic an "emotional guy" who got frustrated.

"I anticipation that yet Elon comes backmost into the fold. Maybe that's not imaginable present due to the fact that he's gone truthful nuclear," Vance said.

Vance's comments travel arsenic different Republicans successful caller days person urged the 2 men, who months agone were adjacent allies spending important clip together, to mend fences.

Musk's torrent of societal media posts attacking Trump came arsenic the president portrayed him arsenic disgruntled and "CRAZY" and threatened to chopped the authorities contracts held by his businesses.

Musk, who runs electrical conveyance shaper Tesla, net institution Starlink and rocket institution SpaceX, lambasted Trump's centerpiece taxation cuts and spending measure but besides suggested Trump should beryllium impeached and claimed without grounds that the authorities was concealing accusation astir the president's relation with infamous pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

"Look, it happens to everybody," Vance said successful the interview. "I've flown disconnected the grip mode worse than Elon Musk did successful the past 24 hours."

Vance made the comments successful an interrogation with "manosphere" comedian Theo Von, who past period joked astir snorting drugs disconnected a mixed-race babe and the sexuality of men successful the U.S. Navy erstwhile helium opened for Trump astatine a subject basal successful Qatar.

The vice president told Von that arsenic Musk for days was calling connected societal media for Congress to termination Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," the president was "getting a small frustrated, feeling similar immoderate of the criticisms were unfair coming from Elon, but I deliberation has been precise restrained due to the fact that the president doesn't deliberation that helium needs to beryllium successful a humor feud with Elon Musk."

"I really deliberation if Elon chilled retired a small bit, everything would beryllium fine," helium added.

Musk appeared by Saturday greeting to person deleted his posts astir Epstein.

The interrogation was taped Thursday arsenic Musk's posts were unfurling connected X, the societal media web the billionaire owns.

During the interview, Von showed the vice president Musk's assertion that Trump's medication hasn't released each the records related to enactment abuser Jeffrey Epstein due to the fact that Trump is mentioned successful them.

Vance responded to that, saying, "Absolutely not. Donald Trump didn't bash thing incorrect with Jeffrey Epstein."

"This worldly is conscionable not helpful," Vance said successful effect to different station shared by Musk calling for Trump to beryllium impeached and replaced with Vance.

"It's wholly insane. The president is doing a bully job."

Vance called Musk an "incredible entrepreneur," and said that Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, which sought to chopped authorities spending and laid disconnected oregon pushed retired thousands of workers, was "really good."

The vice president besides defended the measure that has drawn Musk's ire, and said its cardinal extremity was not to chopped spending but to widen the 2017 taxation cuts approved successful Trump's archetypal term.

The measure would slash spending but besides permission immoderate 10.9 cardinal much radical without wellness security and spike deficits by $2.4 trillion implicit the decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Musk has warned that the measure volition summation the national shortage and called it a "disgusting abomination."

"It's a bully bill," Vance said. "It's not a cleanable bill."

He besides said it was ridiculous for immoderate House Republicans who voted for the measure but aboriginal recovered parts objectional to assertion they hadn't had clip to work it.

Vance said the substance had been disposable for weeks and said, "the thought that radical haven't had an accidental to really work it is ridiculous."

Elsewhere successful the interview, Vance laughed arsenic Von cracked jokes astir famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass' sexuality.

"We're gonna speech to the Smithsonian astir putting up an grounds connected that," Vance joked. "And Theo Von, you tin beryllium the narrator for this caller knowing of the past of Frederick Douglass."

The podcaster besides asked the vice president if helium "got high" connected predetermination nighttime to observe Trump's victory.

Vance laughed and joked that helium wouldn't admit it if helium did.

"I did not get high," helium past said. "I did person a just magnitude to portion that night."

The interrogation was taped successful Nashville astatine a edifice owned by instrumentalist Kid Rock, a Trump ally.