Elon Musk Declares His 'Love' For Salty Trump After Time Cover Threatens Their Bromance

Is the supposed bromance between President Donald Trump and tech billionaire CEO Elon Musk on the rocks? In a move that might be the final salt in the wound for Trump's fragile insecurities, Time magazine put out a scathing cover that depicts Musk sitting behind the president's desk — implying that the Tesla CEO is the one really running the U.S. government. This cover and its accompanying Time story arrived amid mounting criticism regarding Musk's place in the Trump administration. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, for instance, called Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) an "unelected shadow government [that] is conducting a hostile takeover of the federal government" in a post to X (formerly Twitter). Following the Time cover's release, however, Musk himself tried to reassure the president by showing Trump some love. But he also felt the need to add a caveat.

TIME's new cover: Inside Elon Musk's war on Washington https://t.co/95Qictx4zP pic.twitter.com/QZ73CZqtnM

— TIME (@TIME) February 7, 2025

"I love @realDonaldTrump as much as a straight man can love another man," Musk wrote on the social media platform he bought back in 2022. Many were quick to point out the insecurity on display in Musk's post, including comedian and political commentator Trevor Noah. "Men are so funny," Noah wrote in a quote post, adding, "We can't even express our affection for another man without having to throw in a 'no homo, ayo, pause' disclaimer. Then we wonder why our friendships don't have the depth, connection and raw honesty that women have in theirs."

For his part, President Donald Trump acted unbothered by the Time magazine cover suggesting Elon Musk is the one really running the U.S. government. When asked about it by a reporter, Trump gave a salty response, saying, "Is Time magazine still in business? I didn't even know that" (via X). However, not everyone bought president's nonchalance. "That's the answer someone gives when something REALLY got under their skin. Good job, Time," one X user wrote. A number of other commenters also pointed out the fact that Trump celebrated being named Time's Person of the Year just two months before the Musk cover came out.

Regarding the relationship at the center of all this drama, there have been signs that Trump and Musk's bromance could go down in flames, and that the president may be trying to ice Musk out of his inner circle. In November 2024, Trump seemingly let it slip that he was getting annoyed by the tech billionaire, saying, "Elon won't go home. I can't get rid of him." While this was presented as a joke, additional reports at the time claimed that Musk was indeed throwing his weight around. "He's behaving as if he's a co-president and making sure everyone knows it," an anonymous source told NBC News following Trump's victory in the 2024 election.