Billionaire Elon Musk changed his phone number after his public fallout with US President Donald Trump, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has revealed. Speaking to the New York Post, Johnson said that he discovered the change while trying to text Musk amid the “Big, Beautiful Bill” drama. “I sent him a long text message, and then his phone number changed, because after the blow-up, something happened with his,” Johnson told the outlet. “(Later I) realised I was sending it out into the ether somewhere and he never read it, so I look forward to meeting with him in person,” he added. “We got to make that right.”

According to The Independent, Johnson previously said the tech mogul ghosted him after the billionaire clashed with Trump over the sweeping spending and tax bill, which cuts taxes for wealthy Americans while curbing access to healthcare and food assistance programs for millions.

Speaking to the Post, he claimed that he and GOP officials were able to communicate with Musk via a third party when necessary. He was also hopeful that Musk and Trump could mend fences. 

“Frankly, I think the president was of that mind as well, but there’s some tension there,” Johnson said of the two billionaires burying the hatchet.

The Trump-Musk feud was precipitated by “a multitude of factors,” he added, saying that he would “let everybody else judge the motivations behind it.” 

The US President signed the bill earlier this month. However, leading up to its passage, Musk publicly raged against it, saying it would increase the budget deficit by $2.5 trillion. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore,” Musk wrote of Trump’s bill on June 3. “This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination,” he added. 

Musk felt that the bill contradicted the work he did to slash government spending while leading the Department of Government Efficiency. Trump, on the other hand, claimed that Musk was merely upset about the legislation’s cuts to electric vehicle credits, which have benefited the billionaire’s companies for years. 

Musk and Trump continued to spar until June 5, when the tech mogul claimed the president appeared in the Epstein files. “Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files,” Musk wrote, adding, “That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!”

Tensions appeared to ease soon afterwards as Musk expressed “regret” for the posts he made about the president and Trump revealed he had “no hard feelings” toward Musk. However, soon after the bill was signed, Musk announced that he would be forming the new “American Party”. “When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,” he wrote on X.

The US President called this idea “ridiculous” and threatened to “take a look at” deporting Musk to South Africa, where he was born. 

In response, Musk took a jab at Trump again last week when he weighed in to criticise the administration’s handling of the Epstein investigation. Musk reacted to an X user’s post who screenshotted a lengthy Truth Social post from Trump, urging his followers to drop the matter. “This is in the running for worst post ever made,” wrote the X user. “Seriously,” Musk responded. “He said ‘Epstein’ half a dozen times while telling everyone to stop talking about Epstein.” “Just release the files as promised,” he added.

Amid this, Mike Johnson said he is “trying to be a peacemaker in all of it.” Johnson complimented Musk as a “genius,” but said that “crafting legislation” was over his head. “He does things that I can’t even fathom, but one of his fields of expertise was not necessarily crafting legislation, right?” Johnson said. “I have great respect for what he’s done, and I just want him to fully understand what we’re doing and remind him of the strategy. This is a long-term play.”

He said he shares concerns about the ballooning deficit, but suggested that Musk’s reaction was out of proportion. “We can’t fix this stuff overnight, but we have a plan to do it, and I think that’s going to be pleasing to everybody who’s worried about our deficit and our debt,” he told the outlet.