Trump and Musk Return to the Spotlight in a Public Handshake Moment in Arizona

In their first public appearance together in months amid disagreements, a photo was taken of billionaire Elon Musk with U.S. President Donald Trump during a memorial for right-wing activist Charlie Kirk in Arizona on Sunday evening.

President Trump commented on the unexpected meeting for the first time, saying about his relationship with Musk: "Our relationship was very good... It was nice of him to come to me." This came in response to reporters' questions about whether Kirk was the reason for the meeting, as Trump clarified on Monday that Musk "stopped by and said hello," emphasizing that "Kirk had nothing to do with it."

For his part, Elon Musk posted on his platform "X" late Sunday a picture of himself with the U.S. President, simply commenting with the phrase: "For Charlie," referring to the late activist _who was assassinated on September 10th_ calling for reconciliation between the two men. That handshake marked their first public meeting since their disagreements erupted.

It is worth noting that Elon Musk was a close ally of Trump, having funded his presidential campaign with over $250 million and held a senior position as an advisor. Musk led the "Government Efficiency Committee" formed by Trump until the end of May, which implemented significant cuts and job reductions, leading to a "very strong backlash against Trump and Tesla."

However, their relationship saw a sharp deterioration later after a public dispute over the terms of his support for Trump. Musk claimed at the time that "Trump's arrival in the White House would not have happened without his support," and also called for "his removal."

Trump responded to those statements hinting at the possibility of "cancelling government contracts with the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX," and suggested "the possibility of Musk using drugs, which sometimes leads him to act erratically."