Trump Responds After Reuniting With Musk At Kirk Funeral

President Donald J. Trump and Elon Musk used the memorial of Charlie Kirk to demonstrate unity, publicly shaking hands before a crowd of nearly 80,000 gathered at State Farm Stadium in Arizona. The moment marked their first public appearance together since their political falling-out earlier this year.

Both the White House and Musk shared the same two-word caption on social media — “For Charlie” — alongside photos of their reunion.

Lip reader Nicola Hickling told the Daily Mail that as the two men took their seats, Trump warmly greeted Musk, asking, “How are you doing?” before adding, “So Elon, I’ve heard you wanted to chat. Let’s try and work out how to get back on track.” Hickling said Trump even appeared to add, “I’ve missed you.”

The gesture comes months after Musk stepped down as head of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and sharply criticized the administration’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” going so far as to flirt with forming a new political party.

Sunday’s handshake signaled a public truce — one made in the name of Charlie Kirk, the conservative leader whose assassination has shaken the movement.

Candace Owens Responds to Rumors of Rift with Kirk

While Trump and Musk’s reunion drew headlines, attention also turned to conservative commentator Candace Owens, who was notably absent from the official list of memorial speakers.

The Daily Mail asked Owens if she planned to take the stage, given her long history with Turning Point USA. Instead, Owens responded with a video message confirming she was not invited to speak alongside Trump, J.D. Vance, or Tucker Carlson.

“I was not invited to speak alongside President Trump, and JD Vance, on the stage with Tucker Carlson at a memorial event,” Owens said. “Erika [Kirk] is in full control … I would hope she’s in full control, but I don’t know because I’ve been hearing some stories about donors that are pushing things.”

Owens also pushed back on claims that her friendship with Kirk had soured. “Charlie and I never, for a second, stopped being friends. Ever. Never happened… They can’t produce one shred of evidence to that effect,” she said.

Reports of Fractured Relationship

The New York Post had reported that Kirk had quietly distanced himself from Owens in recent years, citing a TPUSA advisory board member who claimed her views had become “too extreme.”

Former Fox News and Newsmax host Eric Bolling echoed that view on Patrick Bet-David’s PBD Podcast, saying: “Charlie, to his credit, kept a cordial friendship with her for years, but it hasn’t been a communication pipeline between the two for many years.”

Owens’ camp fired back, calling Bolling’s claim “flat-out lying.”

Owens, who once served as Turning Point USA’s communications director from 2017 to 2019, maintained her presence at the group’s events long after stepping down. But her absence from the most high-profile conservative memorial in years has fueled speculation about her standing within the movement.

Whether the split was personal, political, or donor-driven, one thing was clear at Sunday’s service: the conservative movement is grappling with loss, realignment, and the next steps forward after Kirk’s assassination.