Trump told reporters during his trip to Asia: “I love Elon, and I think I will always love him.”

Musk had donated more than $250 million to Trump’s election campaign last year.

During the early months of Trump’s presidency, Musk became one of the president’s close associates and took on the task of quickly reducing government spending.

However, in early summer, a dispute arose between them over the major budget bill pushed by Trump, and the two soon began exchanging attacks on social media, before Musk withdrew from his political role.

In July, Musk announced the creation of his own political party, but no news has been heard about it since.