Elon Musk says Trump ‘is not evil,’ tells Joe Rogan the media exaggerates his flaws
🚨 ELON MUSK: Some people think Trump is the devil. He's not perfect. But he's not evil. Trump is NOT evil. I spent a LOT of time with him! He's a product of his time, but he's not evil.pic.twitter.com/t92FSZpXUA
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 31, 2025
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk joined Joe Rogan for a three-hour episode of 'The Joe Rogan Experience', where he shared candid views on President Donald Trump. Musk called Trump “not perfect” but “not as evil” as portrayed by mainstream media, signaling a renewed understanding between the two after months of public tension.
Musk and Trump had clashed earlier this year over the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” but the Tesla and SpaceX CEO now says the narrative around Trump has been blown out of proportion.
Elon Musk says Donald Trump 'is not evil'
In the episode released on October 31, Elon Musk addressed his strained relationship with Trump for the first time since their June dispute. “The Biden administration was not exactly my best friend—especially after I helped Trump get elected, which some people still think,” Musk told Rogan. “Donald Trump is like the devil, basically.”
He went on to clarify, “I think Trump, he’s not perfect, but he’s not evil. Trump is not evil. I’ve spent a lot of time with him. He’s a product of his time, but he’s not evil.” Musk added that media coverage of Trump has been “exuberant.”
Rogan agreed, saying he also didn’t believe Trump was evil. Musk quickly followed with his own critique of the press: “The media treats him like he’s super evil.” Rogan replied, “It’s pretty shocking.”
Elon Musk defends Donald Trump’s immigration policies
Musk also came to Trump’s defense over his immigration approach, calling border enforcement a difficult but necessary task. He acknowledged mistakes by immigration authorities but said expecting flawless enforcement was unrealistic.
“You can’t expect perfection,” Musk said. “There will be cases where they’ve been overzealous in expelling illegals. But if you demand perfection, there will be no enforcement at all, because perfection is impossible.”
He argued that Trump’s border control helped maintain electoral integrity, saying, “If Trump had lost, there would never have been another real election, because Trump was actually enforcing the border."
Elon Musk and Donald Trump mend ties after feud
Elon Musk’s relationship with Donald Trump has swung from alliance to animosity and back again. Early in the year, Musk used his social media platforms to boost Trump’s influence, while Trump backed Musk’s proposal for a 'Department of Government Efficiency,' which later collapsed.
When the plan fell apart, tensions rose. Musk criticized Trump’s massive spending proposal, the “Big Beautiful Bill,” and by June their feud escalated when Musk accused Trump of blocking the release of the Epstein files. Trump fired back with personal insults and threats to cancel federal contracts with Musk’s companies, including SpaceX.
The two later reunited at a vigil for commentator Charlie Kirk and have since spoken favorably about each other. Though not as close as during the early MAGA 2.0 days, a new $2 billion White House contract suggests their alliance has been restored — at least for now.
