Donald Trump and Elon Musk Reconnect at Charlie Kirk’s Memorial, but Trump Says It Had ‘Nothing to Do’ with Grief

President Donald Trump addressed his brief reunion with Elon Musk at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service on Sunday, Sept. 21.

The president paid tribute to Kirk — who was assassinated at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10 — while delivering a 40-minute eulogy at the event that touched on a variety of topics, including his administration’s political goals.

Trump, 79, was one of many prominent conservatives to attend the high-security service at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Another guest was Musk, 54, whom Trump worked with at the start of his second term to create the agency-slashing Department of Government Efficiency.

While Trump and Musk once had a friendly relationship, it quickly deteriorated over the summer as they exchanged barbed comments on social media. They have not been seen together in recent months, and Trump went so far as to call Musk a “train wreck” and accuse him of going “off the rails” in the wake of the Tesla CEO’s explosive allegations and commitment to forming a new political party.

However, the pair briefly spoke at State Farm Stadium on Sunday, raising questions about a possible reconciliation. Trump addressed their conversation while talking to reporters after the event.

Asked if speculation was true that Kirk’s death had brought Trump and Musk “back together,” the president said, “No, it’s nothing to do with that.”

“Well, Elon came over and said hello,” he instead told the White House press pool, soon adding, “I thought it was nice. He came over, we had a little conversation. We had a very good relationship, but it was nice that he came over.”

Musk does not appear to have addressed his conversation with the president yet. However, he reshared a post on his social media platform, X, from Trump’s White House on the day of the memorial service, which read, “May God Bless America.”

Trump once referred to Musk as a “star” for his support during the 2024 presidential election. The president was vocal in his support for the billionaire, even turning the White House into a showroom for Musk’s Teslas in March, as the electric vehicle pioneer faced financial challenges over its CEO’s political involvement.

Their dynamic soured in May, days before Musk’s temporary job in the White House was scheduled to expire, when the DOGE head spoke critically of Trump’s spending bill, commonly referred to as his “Big Beautiful Bill.”

“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” he told CBS Sunday Morning in late May.

“I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore,” he followed up on X shortly after leaving the Trump administration. “This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”

As the feud ignited, Musk even linked Trump to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, alleging that the president’s name appeared in the mysterious file about the investigation in a since-deleted post.

In July, Musk announced plans to launch his own political party, the America Party, heating up the debate between the richest man on earth and the most powerful world leader.

Despite Musk’s apology, a source told PEOPLE in June that Trump and Musk were avoiding each other and did not seem likely to reconcile.

“And Trump doesn’t forget,” the source said. “He may say something acceptable for public consumption, but after what Elon wrote on social media, and despite his apology, Trump’s relationship with Musk will never again be the same.”

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Another source described the pair’s relationship as being “so far from good terms.”

“Nobody trusts you again after you go that nuclear,” the second source said.