A Bruised Musk Leaves Washington: Takeaways From the Trump News Conference

“He had to go through the slings and the arrows, which is a shame,” Mr. Trump said.

Tesla, Mr. Musk’s carmaker, has faced protests, vandalism and plummeting stock prices as the billionaire deepened his involvement with right-wing politics.

The relationship between the two men started out rocky. Mr. Musk once suggested Mr. Trump shouldn’t run for office, and the president brushed him off.