Musk-Trump alliance: Why the onetime enemies are teaming up to win the White House

NASHVILLE, Tenn. —  Former President Donald Trump's highly anticipated keynote address at the biggest bitcoin gathering of the year late last month started over an hour late.

As the crowd of investors, enthusiasts and the crypto-curious grew increasingly antsy in Nashville, Elon Musk's private jet was touching down 200 miles away in Memphis, Tennessee.

It was July 27, just two weeks after Trump had survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. Hours later, he'd been publicly endorsed by the Tesla CEO for a second term.

Inside Nashville's Music City Center, rumors had been swirling all week that Musk would make a surprise appearance at the conference, and maybe even moderate a fireside chat with Trump

Musk didn't show, but he was very much present.

"I love Elon. He's great," Trump told the crowd. "He endorsed me and great endorsement and everything else, but not everybody has to have an electric car."

Yet Trump's comments in Nashville were notably toned down from what he'd said about Musk just a week earlier at a rally in Michigan.

"I love Elon Musk ... we have to make life good for us smart people. And he's as smart as you get," Trump said at the time. "He gives me $45 million a month! C'mon. Not $45 million. He gives me $45 milliona month."

He continued, "I mean other guys, they give you $2 and you got to take them to lunch, you got to wine 'em and dine 'em."

So what happened between July 20 in Michigan and July 27 in Nashville to tamp down Trump's gushing praise? The answer appears simple: On July 22, Musk denied the extent of the pledge.

"What's been reported in the media is simply not true," Musk told the podcaster Jordan Peterson. "I'm not donating $45 million a month to Trump." In a post on X on July 25, Musk said he