Donald Trump Takes a Swipe at Elon Musk, Says He's 'Got a Little Problem' Despite Being a 'Super Genius'

Donald Trump and Elon Musk might as well have “it’s complicated” permanently set as their social media status. The two have gone from tight-knit to enemies to thick as thieves, and though things currently seem good between them, that didn’t keep Trump from taking shots at his former leader of the Department of Government Efficiency.

At a rally in Arizona intended to improve Republican turnout in the upcoming midterm elections, Trump took a jab at Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs and turned it into a backward swipe at Musk.

“She’s a dumb person,” Trump said. “I know smart people, I deal from Elon down to Katie, I figure there’s a big difference.”

From there, he wandered off topic. “Elon’s 80 percent super genius, and 20 percent — he got a little problem, I always tell him,” he joked, dropping into his mocking tone. “No, he’s a great guy, though.”

The ups and downs of the Trump-Musk dynamic have provided one of the most unexpected sideshows of the second Trump administration. Their relationship started strong, with Musk and DOGE tasked with slashing government spending. Musk attacked the issue with great vigor, though the promised savings never materialized.

Perhaps the peak of his Washington influence came in February 2025 at the Conservative Political Action Conference, when he danced on stage with a chainsaw and declared, “I am become meme!”

Musk left the role in May 2025 amidst his opposition to Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” legislative package. On the way out the door, he posted cryptic statements accusing Trump of being in the Jeffrey Epstein files. Their relationship cratered after that, with Musk declaring a new America First political party and calling Trump’s legislative agenda “a disgusting abomination … political suicide.”

Trump responded by stating he had seen Musk “go completely 'off the rails,' essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK.”

He later took his first shot at Musk's mind on The Scott Jennings Show in September 2025: "He's got 80 percent super-genius, and then 20 percent he's got some problems. When he works out the 20 percent, he'll be great."

At one point, Musk seemed to try to make amends, posting, “I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too far.” However, he then deleted the message.

The two shook hands at a memorial service for Charlie Kirk, and seemed to have made up by the end of the year.

Musk has not explained his Epstein files comments, nor has Trump specified what Musk's "problems" entail.

Currently, Musk is one of Trump’s most reliable allies, reportedly spending hundreds of billions of dollars to try to preserve Republican control of Congress in the midterms.