In a surprising turn of political drama, Elon Musk reportedly changed his cellphone number and stopped returning texts from House Speaker Mike Johnson after a heated disagreement over Republicans’ massive tax-and-spending bill, the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.
Johnson revealed the fallout during the latest episode of Pod Force One, saying he had sent Musk a “long text message” only to realize later that the tech mogul had cut off communication entirely.
“After the blow-up, something happened… [his number changed],” Johnson said, referring to Musk’s abrupt departure from the conversation. “I was sending [texts] out into the ether.”
The disconnect comes just weeks after Musk’s public fallout with former President Donald Trump, with whom he once shared a warm working relationship. Musk, who had been unofficially overseeing government tech policy via the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), parted ways with the Trump camp in late May after publicly slamming the GOP’s new fiscal package — particularly its impact on the national deficit.
Trump, Musk, and the Missing Bromance
Musk had previously expressed support for Trump’s fiscal agenda but took issue with the ballooning deficit, which became a breaking point. Johnson suggested that while Trump might be open to reconciliation, tensions remain high.
“Frankly, I think the president was of that mind as well, but there’s some tension there,” Johnson said of a possible Musk-Trump reunion.
Despite being ghosted, Johnson says he still hopes to repair his relationship with Musk and has reached out through third-party channels.
