Democracy Dies in Darkness

How Vance brokered a truce between Trump and Musk

JD Vance played a key role brokering a reconciliation between the president and his wealthiest supporter. But as Trump’s first year in office comes to a close, both he and his allies have learned hard lessons about Musk’s unusual influence.

December 29, 2025 at 5:00 a.m. ESTYesterday at 5:00 a.m. EST

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(Illustration by Lucy Naland/The Washington Post; Cornell Watson/For The Washington Post; Graeme Sloan/For The Washington Post; Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post; Tom Brenner/For The Washington Post)

By Elizabeth Dwoskin

Natalie Allison

and

Faiz Siddiqui

Vice President JD Vance was doggedly working the phones, trying to quell a rebellion in his midst. Elon Musk had just declared his intention to form a third party this spring, turning a simmering feud into an all-out war against the MAGA movement.

What readers are saying

The comments reflect a strong skepticism and criticism of Elon Musk's involvement in politics, particularly his relationship with Donald Trump and the MAGA movement. Many commenters express concern over the influence of billionaires like Musk and Peter Thiel on political figures... Show more

This summary is AI-generated. AI can make mistakes and this summary is not a replacement for reading the comments.

By Elizabeth Dwoskin

Lizza joined The Washington Post as the paper's first Silicon Valley correspondent in 2016. She writes accountability-driven narratives about high-level figures, institutions, and ideas in the business and tech world - those building the future and shaping the present, from politics to emerging military technologies to health.@lizzadwoskin

By Natalie Allison

Natalie Allison is a White House reporter for the Washington Post. She previously covered Donald Trump's presidential campaign, the MAGA movement and the Republican Party more broadly.@natalie_allison

By Faiz Siddiqui

Faiz Siddiqui is a technology reporter with The Washington Post's Business Desk covering companies such as Tesla and Twitter. His area of coverage has also included ride-hailing and the race to build autonomous cars. Prior to that, he covered the D.C. Metro and local transportation scene.@faizsays

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