The two seem to have paused their online war of words. But the president may sell his Tesla and has continued to criticize Musk within his inner circle, according to those close to him.

L ong-simmering tensions between President Trump and Elon Musk burst into the open on Thursday, and our readers had many questions about the rupture. In a real-time Q&A on Friday,

Losing Elon Musk’s backing could threaten Donald Trump’s growing influence among tech donors, social media audiences, and younger male voters. For Mr. Musk, the break could intensify scrutiny of his business practices and government contracts.