Mercurial tech tycoon Elon Musk retracted some of his criticism of President Donald Trump early Wednesday morning, after the Tesla chief and the US leader had a public falling out last week.
"I regret some of my posts about President Trump last week," he posted to X, the social media platform he owns. "They went too far."
Given the range of posts directed at Mr Trump last week, it is not entirely clear which ones he is sorry for.
Several days ago, however, Mr Musk did delete one of the more controversial posts in which he claimed Mr Trump was named in the Epstein files and that was why he had not released them.
The documents, which have not been made fully public, concern the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and have long been the subject of speculation by Trump supporters, who have demanded their full release in the belief that they contain the names of high-ranking Democrats.
Inclusion in the files does not necessarily imply any wrongdoing.
Last week, shortly after Mr Musk announced his plans to step away from his role in the Trump administration, he used his social media platform to blast Mr Trump's much touted “big, beautiful” tax bill, describing it as a “disgusting abomination” that would blow up the national debt.
The abrupt turn against Mr Trump's signature legislation came after the disintegration of the partnership between the two men that lasted more than a year and saw Mr Musk donate hundreds of millions of dollars to Mr Trump's presidential campaign.
Many argue that crucial funding was the difference between victory and defeat for Mr Trump, who faced off against Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, who was then vice president.
After Mr Trump's win, Mr Musk's remit was to cut federal waste through the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency. But within the first few months of the Trump administration, reports indicated Mr Musk's presence had begun to grate with the President.
Some have argued that the partnership began to fracture when Mr Trump's advocacy for tariffs put a strain on the various entrepreneurial endeavours of Mr Musk. Mr Trump also sought to cease electric vehicle subsidies that had previously boosted Tesla's bottom line.
Regardless, as of last week, there appeared to be no love lost between the two men, both of whom have a large social media presence.
After the series of posts to X by Mr Musk, Mr Trump alleged that the Tesla chief had "lost his mind".
So while it's unclear what caused the sudden, quasi-apology from Mr Musk, it probably all comes down to money.
Mr Trump had posted to his own social media platform, Truth Social, that as a result of Mr Musk betraying him, he would try to halt all federal contracts with his various companies, such as Starlink, SpaceX and others. If that comes to fruition, Mr Musk could lose billions.
Last week's posts also hurt the already wounded Tesla, whose stock dropped after Mr Musk began his tirade.
Tesla has since recovered most of the value lost. On Wednesday morning, it was up more than 2 per cent shortly after the opening bell.
What many are still wondering, however, is whether Mr Trump will forgive Mr Musk.
He has yet to post anything in response, and it should be pointed out that Mr Musk has not exactly changed his mind and endorsed Mr Trump's tax and spending bill, seen as the culmination of many of the President's campaign promises.
Mr Musk's criticism, even with some of his comments now reversed, might not be enough to shift the chip from Mr Trump's shoulder.
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Leading all-time NBA scorers
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 38,387
Karl Malone 36,928
Kobe Bryant 33,643
Michael Jordan 32,292
LeBron James 31,425
Wilt Chamberlain 31,419
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
AVOID SCAMMERS: TIPS FROM EMIRATES NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details
4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies
7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Off-roading in the UAE: How to checklist
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
SPECS
Mini John Cooper Works Clubman and Mini John Cooper Works Countryman
Engine: two-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 306hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: JCW Clubman, Dh220,500; JCW Countryman, Dh225,500
bundesliga results
Mainz 0 Augsburg 1 (Niederlechner 1')
Schalke 1 (Caligiuri pen 51') Bayer Leverkusen 1 (Miranda og 81')
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
Emirates exiles
Will Wilson is not the first player to have attained high-class representative honours after first learning to play rugby on the playing fields of UAE.
Jonny Macdonald
Abu Dhabi-born and raised, the current Jebel Ali Dragons assistant coach was selected to play for Scotland at the Hong Kong Sevens in 2011.
Jordan Onojaife
Having started rugby by chance when the Jumeirah College team were short of players, he later won the World Under 20 Championship with England.
Devante Onojaife
Followed older brother Jordan into England age-group rugby, as well as the pro game at Northampton Saints, but recently switched allegiance to Scotland.
