Elon Musk edging back to MAGA? His praise for DC crackdown fuels talk of political truce before midterms

(FILES) US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk (R) speak in the Oval Office before departing the White House in Washington, DC, on the way to Trump's residence at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida on March 14, 2025.

After months of trading public barbs with Donald Trump, Elon Musk seems to have offered an unexpected olive branch by publicly supporting the US president’s latest show of federal power in Washington, DC.

On Monday, Trump announced the deployment of 800 National Guard troops to the capital and a temporary federal takeover of the city’s police department. The move, carried out under presidential powers in the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, bypasses the city’s elected leadership. Trump justified it as necessary to “rescue" Washington from violent crime, even though official data shows crime rates have fallen sharply this year after spiking in 2023.

Musk’s support came via a string of social media replies to senior Trump officials and allies. Responding to White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller’s post, “MAKE DC SAFE AND BEAUTIFUL AGAIN!", Musk simply wrote, “Yes," later adding that revitalising America’s cities must start with the nation’s capital. He also endorsed Vice President JD Vance’s praise for Trump’s move, replying with the American flag emoji.

The rampant crime and lawlessness in Washington have turned our nation's capital into an utter disgrace. Thanks to President Trump's leadership, the American people will have a capital they can safely visit and that they can be proud of once more. https://t.co/4kAke2h0km

— JD Vance (@JDVance) August 11, 2025

The display of warmth marks a dramatic shift from earlier this year, when Musk sharply criticised Trump’s flagship tax-and-spending bill for cutting electric vehicle incentives. Trump, in turn, questioned Musk’s reliance on federal subsidies. The spat escalated after former Trump adviser Steve Bannon labelled Musk a “dangerous alien” and suggested SpaceX could be nationalised. Musk retaliated by accusing Bannon of abandoning “reason” and hinting at launching a new “America Party” to challenge Republican leadership.

Whether Musk took formal steps to create the new party remains unclear. Spokespeople for Musk and his political action committee, America PAC, declined comment at the time, according to a July Associated Press report.

On Monday, however, Vance appeared keen to mend fences. “I think it’s a mistake for him to try to break from the president – my hope is that by the time of the midterms, he’s kind of come back into the fold,” Vance told the Daily Caller. “If you’re patriotic, you’re not trying to stick your knife in the back of the president, you’re not trying to betray the movement, I don’t care about these minor little disagreements and issues.”

Musk’s online gestures of support for Trump’s Washington crackdown have sparked speculation that the world’s richest man may be inching back toward the MAGA camp ahead of the midterm elections.