Donald Trump and Elon Musk appear to have reconciled for good after being bitter rivals for some time.
At one of Mr Trump's election campaign rallies on Saturday (October 5), Mr Musk leaped around on stage in favour of the candidate.
During the appearance with Mr Trump, the tech entrepreneur painted a bleak picture of the impending presidential election, describing the Republican nominee as the only one “to preserve democracy in America”.
At the event, which took place at Butler, Pennsylvania, where the former president escaped an assassination attempt in July, Mr Musk wore a black-on-black cap with the campaign's "Make America Great Again" patch on it and claimed that "this will be the last election" if Mr Trump lost.
The rally signified the two men's developing alliance in the closing stages of the presidential race. Here’s how they got to this position.
Musk doesn’t think Trump is a fit - November 2016
The timeline doesn’t start on a positive note.
Mr Musk stated to CNBC that he didn't think Trump should be president just before the 2016 presidential election.
"I feel a bit stronger that he is not the right guy. He doesn't seem to have the sort of character that reflects well on the United States," the billionaire said.
Musk is appointed to Trump’s advisory councils - December 2016
That same year, Mr Trump named his two economic advisory councils would be Mr Musk and the CEO of Uber Travis Kalanick.
Mr Musk faced criticism for his decision to work with the president, but he stood by it, claiming he was using the role to advocate for improved immigration and environmental laws.
Musk resigns - June 2017
After Mr Trump said on June 1, 2017, that the United States would withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, Musk tendered his resignation from his positions on presidential advisory boards.
Am departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 1, 2017
Trump praises Musk - January 2020
After years of silence between the pair, Mr Trump came out in 2020 to CNBC and praised Mr Musk’s accomplishments and intelligence.
In reference to Tesla surpassing Ford and General Motors in value, the former president stated: "You have to give him credit. He's also doing the rockets. He likes rockets. And he's doing good at rockets too, by the way."
On top of this, Mr Musk was referred to as "one of our great geniuses" by Mr Trump, who also compared him to Thomas Edison.
Musk welcomes Trump back onto Twitter - May 2022
As Mr Musk took ownership of Twitter, one of the first things he did was bring Mr Trump back onto the platform.
Mr Trump was banned by Twitter in 2021 “due to the risk of further incitement of violence”, following the attack on the US Capitol.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Musk referred to the prohibition as "foolish to the extreme" and a "morally bad decision".
The Tesla owner has referred to himself as a "free speech absolutist" and he made content monitoring less stringent one of his main objectives when he took over Twitter.
“Musk is another bullshit artist” - July 2022
This is when their friendship turns bitter again. Mr Trump claims Mr Musk voted for him but later denied it.
During a Saturday rally in Anchorage, Mr Trump said: “You know [Musk] said the other day 'Oh, I've never voted for a Republican'. I said 'I didn't know that'. He told me he voted for me. So he's another bullshit artist.”
Mr Musk denied these claims and said Mr Trump shouldn’t run for president again.
“I don't hate the man, but it's time for Trump to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset. Dems should also call off the attack – don't make it so that Trump's only way to survive is to regain the Presidency,” he tweeted.
I don’t hate the man, but it’s time for Trump to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 12, 2022
Dems should also call off the attack – don’t make it so that Trump’s only way to survive is to regain the Presidency.
Adding: “Do we really want a bull in a china shop situation every single day!? Also, I think the legal maximum age for the start of Presidential term should be 69.”
The feud continues as Mr Trump criticises Mr Musk on Truth Social, the social media company founded by Mr Trump.
He said: "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."
In response, Mr Musk tweeted, "Lmaooo".
Musk supports Trump’s border wall - September 2023
A trip to the US-Mexico border was live-streamed by Mr Musk on Twitter, which he had rebranded as "X".
During his trip to Eagle Pass, Texas, to see firsthand what local officials described as a border catastrophe, Mr Musk claimed that one of Mr Trump's hallmark ideas was required.
We actually do need a wall and we need to require people to have some shred of evidence to claim asylum to enter, as everyone is doing that. It’s a hack that you can literally Google to know exactly what to say!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 27, 2023
Will find out more when I visit Eagle Pass maybe as soon as…
Musk endorses Trump after he is shot during a political rally - July 2024
Following the former president's shooting at a campaign event before the Republican National Convention, Mr Musk stated that he "fully endorsed" Mr Trump.
The billionaire's support was a significant turning point.
It was discovered a few days later that Mr Musk had pressured Mr Trump to choose Senate JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate. Mr Vance was named by Mr Trump as his choice for Vice President during the Republican National Convention.
Musk to commit to new Pro-Trump Super PAC - July 2024
Mr Musk has revealed he plans to commit around $45 million (£34 million) a month to a new super political-action committee backing Mr Trump’s presidential run, according to Wall Street Journal.
Musk shares his interest in being appointed by Trump - September 2024
After Mr Trump joined Mr Musk in a two-hour livestream on X, covering topics ranging from a retelling of Mr Trump’s assassination to Mr Musk’s potential role with a government efficiency commission, the two began discussing the idea that Mr Musk could potentially enter his Cabinet or an advisory role.
I am willing to serve pic.twitter.com/BJhGbcA2e0
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 20, 2024
Subsequently, he tweeted several times more to express his interest in accepting Mr Trump's appointment, saying that he "looked forward to serving" the nation and would be content to do so in the absence of compensation, recognition, or a title.
I look forward to serving America if the opportunity arises.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 5, 2024
No pay, no title, no recognition is needed. https://t.co/5PSNtjBQn7
