Elon Musk returns to White House following Trump feud as he takes selfie with unlikely friend
Elon Musk has made his return to the White House after months of feuding with President Donald Trump on everything from tariffs to Epstein.
Musk took a break from posting on X to attend a star-studded White House state dinner that brought together an unusual mix of tech moguls, political leaders, and international celebrities on Tuesday evening (18 November).
President Donald Trump hosted the lavish gathering to honour Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to Washington DC, drawing some of the world's most powerful and wealthy figures to the East Room.
Musk has also notably been quiet since the latest Epstein files bombshell implicated Donald Trump, despite infamously posting "Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files," he wrote. "That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!" to X. A post which has since been deleted.
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Among the distinguished guests was football icon Cristiano Ronaldo, who captured a notable photograph with Elon Musk and several global power players at the event.
The 40-year-old Portuguese athlete attended the prestigious gathering with his partner, Georgina Rodriguez. During the dinner, Trump paid tribute to Ronaldo, who plays for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.
"This room is loaded up with the biggest leaders in the world - business, sports..." Trump remarked. "My son is a big fan of Ronaldo... Barron got to meet him and I think he respects his father a little bit more now - just the fact that I introduced you."
Tech entrepreneur David Sacks later shared a photo from the evening, which featured Sacks, Musk, FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, Rodriguez, and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
"Great night!" Sacks captioned the image, while Greg Brockman shared his own image, writing: "AI bringing people together".
The East Room gathering also included Donald Trump Jr, JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Apple CEO Tim Cook. The visit represented Ronaldo's first documented public visit to American soil since a 2017 sexual assault accusation by a US educator. In a Der Spiegel interview that year, Mayorga alleged Ronaldo assaulted her at a Las Vegas hotel in 2009.
The woman reportedly accepted a private settlement with Ronaldo in 2010 but later pursued additional compensation beyond the $375,000 (£304,000) she initially received.
Following 2017, Ronaldo has avoided participating in any preseason or friendly matches held in the US while playing for Real Madrid, Juventus, Manchester United, and his present club. The occasion was also the Saudi Crown Prince's first US appearance since intelligence agencies concluded he sanctioned journalist Jamal Khashoggi's killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
When questioned about Khashoggi's death in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump strongly defended the Crown Prince. The US President dismissed the inquiry and contradicted the intelligence assessment from his first administration by stating Bin Salman 'had no knowledge of it.'