Elon Musk’s father, Errol Musk, called the conflict that erupted between his son and President Trump as two “elephant bulls or alphas having a go at each other.”

The elder Mr. Musk thinks that the high-profile fight between the two men will eventually subside, but said he believes that his son’s allegation that the president is included in the files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased banker and sex offender, was a bad move.

“I have no idea what he was thinking,” he said during an interview with Al Arabiya English.

Errol Musk said he sent his son a message during the clobber-fest, urging him to dial back on the feud.

“I did send him a message … telling him, make sure this fizzles out,” the elder Mr. Musk said. He added he thinks Elon Musk and Mr. Trump will eventually mend fences.

“I can only imagine that’s just a silly mistake,” he said of his son’s allegation. “When people have been through a great deal of stress … eventually people reach a point where they lash out.”

He added, “Even at the highest levels, people struggle to find common ground.”

The beef between Elon Musk and Mr. Trump reached new heights Thursday as their public spat over the One Big Beautiful Bill Act turned personal.

“Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files,” Mr. Musk said on X shortly before the president met with the Fraternal Order of Police at the White House. “That is the real reason they have not been made public.”

He added snarkily, “Have a nice day, DJT!”

Mr. Trump said he was “disappointed” in Elon Musk and suggested the federal government should have taken away its contracts with his companies.

• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.