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House Speaker Mike Johnson revealed that a lengthy text he sent Elon Musk amid his feud with President Donald Trump earlier in 2025 was delivered “into the ether” after the tech billionaire allegedly changed his cell phone number after spatting with the president.
“I sent him a long text message, and then his phone number changed, because after the blow-up, something happened with his …” Johnson, R-La., told New York Post columnist Miranda Devine on her podcast published Wednesday before trailing off that he realized the number was no longer a direct line to Musk.
“I got the number later and realized I was sending it out into the ether somewhere and he never read it,” he continued. “So I look forward to meeting with him in person. We got to make that right. I’ve got nothing against Elon, obviously. I’ve got great respect for what he’s done.”
High-profile individuals such as celebrities and billionaires are known to frequently change their cell phone numbers out of privacy and security concerns.
Johnson said that before the spat, he had met with and sent other “long text messages” to keep Musk in the loop on the big, beautiful bill.
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Musk and Trump’s previously tight relationship fell to tatters in May, as Trump promoted the passage of his One Big, Beautiful Bill Act. Musk served as the public leader of the Department of Government Efficiency, which works to strip the federal government of overspending, corruption and mismanagement, as a special government employee — a job position that permits an individual to work for the federal government for “no more than 130 days in a 365-day period.”
Musk’s tenure ran dry at the end of May, and was shortly followed by the tech billionaire behind massive companies such as SpaceX and Tesla launching a campaign on X in an attempt to rally Republican lawmakers to vote against the legislation, slamming it for increasing the U.S. debt ceiling by $5 trillion.
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Trump argued Musk publicly condemning the legislation was actually rooted in the president axing electric vehicle mandates and subsidies, which impacts Musk’s Tesla company. On June 12, Trump signed a trio of congressional resolutions ending California’s restrictive rules for diesel engines and mandates on electric vehicle sales, with Trump celebrating that his signature “will kill the California mandates forever.”
Musk has since said he intends to launch a new political party to counter Republicans and Democrats.
Johnson continued in his interview on Devine’s podcast that he did get a response back from Musk through a third-party after realizing the tech billionaire had seemingly changed his phone number.
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Johnson said “a multitude of factors” likely caused the rift, but that Musk was aware of the contents in the big, beautiful bill before its final stages this spring and summer after months of lawmakers ironing out provisions in the legislation.
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“But clearly, (Musk) got unhappy in a very short period of time,” Johnson said. “I mean, he generally knew what we were doing, and we talked about it. I mean, he knew for months, many months we worked on this, and I was keeping him apprised of it.”
“But I’ll let other people judge that,” he added. “I’ve got to keep my eyes on the prize and keep going forward, and I’m trying to be a peacemaker in all of it.”
Trump signed the legislation into law on the Fourth of July, touting that its tax cuts will make the U.S. economy similar to a “rocket ship” as Americans begin feeling its effects.
Fox News Digital attempted to reach Musk, as well as emailed Johnson’s office, for additional comment on the matter, but did not immediately receive replies.
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