How Elon has talked about Trump, Altman, Bezos and Gates
Remarks on Bezos became more supportive from 2025; remarks on Gates stayed critical.
Every point, with its quote and source
Donald Trump
| Date | Tone | Quote | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-11-04 | critical | “I feel a bit stronger that probably he's not the right guy. He just doesn't seem to have the sort of character that reflects well on the United States.” | cnbc.com Not yet verified word for word |
| 2017-06-01 | critical | “Am departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world.” | X post Verified on X |
| 2022-05-10 | supportive | “I would reverse the permaban. I think it was a morally bad decision, and foolish in the extreme.” | ft.com Not yet verified word for word |
| 2022-07-12 | critical | “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.” | X post Verified on X |
| 2022-07-12 | critical | “Trump would be 82 at end of term, which is too old to be chief executive of anything, let alone the United States of America.” | washingtonpost.com Not yet verified word for word |
| 2023-09-12 | critical | “I'm not Trump's fan. He's disruptive. He's the world's champion of bullshit.” | mediaite.com Not yet verified word for word |
| 2024-07-13 | supportive | “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery” | X post Verified on X |
| 2025-02-07 | supportive | “I love @realDonaldTrump as much as a straight man can love another man” | X post Verified on X |
| 2025-06-03 | critical | “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.” | X post Verified on X |
| 2025-06-05 | critical | “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.” | cnn.com Not yet verified word for word |
| 2025-06-05 | critical | “Such ingratitude” | X post Verified on X |
| 2025-06-05 | critical | “Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!” | thewrap.com Not yet verified word for word |
| 2025-10-31 | supportive | “Some people still think, you know, Trump is like the devil, basically. And, I mean, I think, I think Trump actually is not perfect, but, but he's not evil. Trump is not evil. I spent a lot of time with, with him, and he's, I mean, he's a product of his time, but he is not, he's not evil.” | newsbreak.com Not yet verified word for word |
Sam Altman
| Date | Tone | Quote | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-05 | supportive | “Thanks Sam!” | nytimes.com Not yet verified word for word |
| 2023-02-17 | critical | “OpenAI was created as an open source (which is why I named it “Open” AI), non-profit company to serve as a counterweight to Google, but now it has become a closed source, maximum-profit company effectively controlled by Microsoft. Not what I intended at all.” | X post Verified on X |
| 2023-03-15 | critical | “I’m still confused as to how a non-profit to which I donated ~$100M somehow became a $30B market cap for-profit. If this is legal, why doesn’t everyone do it?” | X post Verified on X |
| 2023-11-29 | critical | “I have mixed feelings about Sam. The ring of power can corrupt, and he has the ring of power. So I don't know.” | nytimes.com Not yet verified word for word |
| 2023-11-29 | critical | “I'm quite concerned that there's some dangerous element of A.I. that they've created.” | nytimes.com Not yet verified word for word |
| 2024-11-16 | critical | “Swindly Sam is at it again …” | X post Verified on X |
| 2025-01-22 | critical | “Sam is a swindler” | X post Verified on X |
| 2025-11-01 | critical | “You stole a non-profit” | X post Verified on X |
Jeff Bezos
| Date | Tone | Quote | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-09-07 | critical | “And if it doesn't work, he's gonna sue death!” | indiatimes.com Not yet verified word for word |
| 2024-06-25 | critical | ““Sue Origin”” | X post Verified on X |
| 2024-06-25 | critical | “An obviously disingenuous response. Not cool of them to try (for the third time) to impede SpaceX's progress by lawfare.” | businessinsider.com Not yet verified word for word |
| 2025-01-16 | supportive | “Congratulations on reaching orbit on the first attempt! @JeffBezos” | X post Verified on X |
| 2025-02-26 | supportive | “Bravo, @JeffBezos!” | X post Verified on X |
| 2026-05-20 | supportive | “Bravo @JeffBezos!” | X post Verified on X |
| 2026-05-29 | neutral | “Most unfortunate. Rockets are hard.” | X post Verified on X |
| 2026-05-29 | supportive | “Ad astra per aspera” | X post Verified on X |
| 2026-10-08 | supportive | “Bravo! I’m glad @JeffBezos cares so much about space.” | X post Verified on X |
| 2026-10-18 | critical | “True, even SpaceX's competitor's FUTURE plans are behind Starship” | finance.yahoo.com Not yet verified word for word |
Bill Gates
| Date | Tone | Quote | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-03-09 | critical | “Sorry. I cannot take your philanthropy on climate seriously when you have a massive short position against Tesla, the company doing the most to solve climate change.” | cnn.com Not yet verified word for word |
| 2023-09-11 | critical | “Gates also said the Tesla Semi was impossible, even though it was literally being driven all over the country. When I asked what battery Wh/kg and truck Wh/mile he was using to reach the conclusion that it’s impossible, Gates had no idea, but still stuck with his conclusion. 🤷♂️” | X post Verified on X |
| 2023-09-11 | critical | “Just so that the public understands: Taking out a short position against Tesla, as Gates did, results in the highest return only if a company goes bankrupt! Gates placed a massive bet on Tesla dying when our company was at one of its weakest moments several years ago. Such a big short position also drives the stock down for everyday investors. To the best of my knowledge, Gates *still* has that massive bet against Tesla on the table. Someone should ask him if he does. The lack of self-awareness and hypocrisy of Gates who had the nerve to ask me to donate to his mostly window-dressing environmental causes, while simultaneously aiming to make $500M from Tesla’s demise, boggles the mind … 🤯” | X post Verified on X |
| 2023-09-12 | critical | “At this point, I am convinced that he is categorically insane (and an asshole to the core). I did actually want to like him (sigh).” | geekwire.com Not yet verified word for word |
| 2025-05-20 | critical | “Who does Bill Gates think he is to make comments about the welfare of children given that he frequented Jeffrey Epstein? I wouldn't trust that guy to babysit my kids, I can tell you that.” | nypost.com Not yet verified word for word |
| 2025-11-16 | critical | “If Gates hasn’t fully closed out the crazy short position he has held against Tesla for ~8 years, he had better do so soon” | X post Verified on X |
| 2025-12-17 | critical | “Bill Gates placed a massive short bet against Tesla of ~1% of our total shares, which might have cost him over $10B by now” | X post Verified on X |
Google search interest, 2015–2026