In a moment that caught national attention, former President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk were seen shaking hands and speaking briefly during the Charlie Kirk memorial service at State Farm Stadium on Sunday.
The encounter is notable as it marks their most visible interaction since their public split earlier this year — a fallout that involved sharply divergent views over Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” tax-and-spending plan, among other issues.
Photos and video show Musk walking over to Trump and briefly greeting him, followed by a handshake. The two were then captured in conversation, though no substantive comments from that exchange have been made public.
Musk later posted a photo of the moment on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption: “For Charlie.”
Observers see the reunion — however brief — as possibly symbolic of a thaw in what had become a tense relationship. But as yet, there is no confirmation that this moment signals any deeper reconciliation.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk paid tribute to Charlie Kirk at Sunday’s memorial service, saying the Turning Point USA founder was targeted “because his words made a difference.”
Speaking as bagpipes played Amazing Grace, Musk described Kirk’s assassination as “the work of the dark.”
“He was killed because his words made a difference, because he was showing people the light — and he was killed by the dark,” Musk said.