Elon Musk's First Oval Office Visit: The Untold Story
Elon Musk's initial meeting with Donald Trump in the Oval Office five years ago conveyed a contrasting atmosphere compared to their interactions over the last month.
TroibNews 
Elon Musk has maintained a recurring presence in the Oval Office during the early days of President Donald Trump’s second term.
Despite Musk’s recent appearances in the Oval, sporting his black Make America Great Again cap, it was not his first visit. The atmosphere of their inaugural meeting — nearly five years ago — starkly contrasted with the relaxed camaraderie depicted during Sean Hannity's primetime interview with the two last week.
According to a source in attendance at that initial meeting, just before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Musk came to Washington to discuss plans for constructing a Tesla gigafactory in Mexico, a proposition that had already caught Trump’s attention and prompted him to invite Musk to the West Wing for discussions.
Prior to their meeting, Musk and an associate consulted with Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, and were then welcomed by Tim Pataki, who was an assistant to the president and deputy director of the White House Office of Public Liaison. An individual who overheard Musk during this private encounter reported that Musk referred to Trump as “a fucking moron” behind his back.
As recounted by the source who was present, Musk walked into the Oval Office, taking in his surroundings and remarked, “Gosh, I tell you. I mean, I was just in China and man, their palaces just make the White House kind of look more like an outhouse.” This prompted visible frustration from Trump, with National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow and four other staffers standing nearby in silence.
During their meeting, Trump claimed he owned two Teslas. However, he seemed somewhat uninformed about the cars' features; this became apparent when the subject of Tesla’s supercharging network arose, leaving Trump looking confused as Musk and a colleague elaborated on the technology.
Nevertheless, they managed to connect over shared views on at least one topic amidst the looming pandemic. The source noted, “they talked a little about Covid, and both of them were equally dismissive of Covid and just how it was basically the flu, and people are freaking out for no reason, and all that stuff.”
Attempts to reach a White House spokesperson for comment were unsuccessful, and inquiries sent to X’s press contact went unanswered.
It’s worth recalling that Musk was part of three Trump advisory councils in 2017: the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative, the Strategic and Policy Forum, and a business advisory group centered on infrastructure. However, the relationship was complicated.
Musk publicly distanced himself when Trump announced his withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accords on June 1, 2017, stating, “Am departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world,” via Twitter.
In 2022, Trump criticized Musk, referencing their previous Oval Office interaction: “When Elon Musk came to the White House asking me for help on all of his many subsidized projects, whether it’s electric cars that don’t drive long enough, driverless cars that crash, or rocketships to nowhere, without which subsidies he’d be worthless, and telling me how he was a big Trump fan and Republican, I could have said, ‘drop to your knees and beg,’ and he would have done it…”
After Musk initiated a deal to purchase Twitter, Trump expressed displeasure over Musk stating he felt too old to seek the presidency again. Trump declared on Truth Social, “Elon never told me he only voted for Democrats. In fact, he told me he voted for ‘Trump,’ and would do so again. Now he’s going to pay a big price for signing a bad contract for a bad company.”
The fact that Musk later became one of Trump’s primary financial supporters — contributing $288 million to his 2024 presidential campaign — and evolved into a key adviser exemplifies the transactional nature of their relationship. Both men appear to operate on a basis of realpolitik calculus, viewing their interactions through a lens of mutual benefit.
If you find this content engaging, consider subscribing to PMG’s West Wing Playbook newsletter.
Max Fischer contributed to this report for TROIB News
Despite Musk’s recent appearances in the Oval, sporting his black Make America Great Again cap, it was not his first visit. The atmosphere of their inaugural meeting — nearly five years ago — starkly contrasted with the relaxed camaraderie depicted during Sean Hannity's primetime interview with the two last week.
According to a source in attendance at that initial meeting, just before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Musk came to Washington to discuss plans for constructing a Tesla gigafactory in Mexico, a proposition that had already caught Trump’s attention and prompted him to invite Musk to the West Wing for discussions.
Prior to their meeting, Musk and an associate consulted with Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, and were then welcomed by Tim Pataki, who was an assistant to the president and deputy director of the White House Office of Public Liaison. An individual who overheard Musk during this private encounter reported that Musk referred to Trump as “a fucking moron” behind his back.
As recounted by the source who was present, Musk walked into the Oval Office, taking in his surroundings and remarked, “Gosh, I tell you. I mean, I was just in China and man, their palaces just make the White House kind of look more like an outhouse.” This prompted visible frustration from Trump, with National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow and four other staffers standing nearby in silence.
During their meeting, Trump claimed he owned two Teslas. However, he seemed somewhat uninformed about the cars' features; this became apparent when the subject of Tesla’s supercharging network arose, leaving Trump looking confused as Musk and a colleague elaborated on the technology.
Nevertheless, they managed to connect over shared views on at least one topic amidst the looming pandemic. The source noted, “they talked a little about Covid, and both of them were equally dismissive of Covid and just how it was basically the flu, and people are freaking out for no reason, and all that stuff.”
Attempts to reach a White House spokesperson for comment were unsuccessful, and inquiries sent to X’s press contact went unanswered.
It’s worth recalling that Musk was part of three Trump advisory councils in 2017: the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative, the Strategic and Policy Forum, and a business advisory group centered on infrastructure. However, the relationship was complicated.
Musk publicly distanced himself when Trump announced his withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accords on June 1, 2017, stating, “Am departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world,” via Twitter.
In 2022, Trump criticized Musk, referencing their previous Oval Office interaction: “When Elon Musk came to the White House asking me for help on all of his many subsidized projects, whether it’s electric cars that don’t drive long enough, driverless cars that crash, or rocketships to nowhere, without which subsidies he’d be worthless, and telling me how he was a big Trump fan and Republican, I could have said, ‘drop to your knees and beg,’ and he would have done it…”
After Musk initiated a deal to purchase Twitter, Trump expressed displeasure over Musk stating he felt too old to seek the presidency again. Trump declared on Truth Social, “Elon never told me he only voted for Democrats. In fact, he told me he voted for ‘Trump,’ and would do so again. Now he’s going to pay a big price for signing a bad contract for a bad company.”
The fact that Musk later became one of Trump’s primary financial supporters — contributing $288 million to his 2024 presidential campaign — and evolved into a key adviser exemplifies the transactional nature of their relationship. Both men appear to operate on a basis of realpolitik calculus, viewing their interactions through a lens of mutual benefit.
If you find this content engaging, consider subscribing to PMG’s West Wing Playbook newsletter.
Max Fischer contributed to this report for TROIB News
