Elon Musk was "trying to encourage" Nigel Farage by calling for him to be replaced, the Reform UK party leader has claimed.
The wildly public fallout between the two allies of Donald Trump in January was keenly watched by members of the populist party when the Tesla chief called for Nigel Farage to step down as leader.
Just hours before the claim, the Clacton MP hailed Musk as a hero as he delivered campaign speeches across the country Reform's cheering supporters.
Nevertheless, a feud soon broke out following the duo's disagreement over jailed Tommy Robinson - real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon - after Farage refused to allow the "thuggish" former EDL leader join his party.
Previously, the Clacton MP hailed Musk as a hero to Reform's cheering supporters
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Musk's call for Farage's replacement was a financial blow to his party as - up until that moment - speculation had swirled around the possibility that the X chief might sign off a hefty cheque of $100million to Reform UK.
Soon after, the billionaire backed the-then Reform MP Rupert Lowe to lead the party instead.
When questioned on the fallout, Farage explained that he had spoken with Musk on their disagreement, telling the BBC: "We talked about it.
"He was just trying to encourage me in a few policy areas, ones I wasn't prepared to go down."
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He added that the Tesla chief would "say what he wants to say at any moment in time", adding that "as far as young people are concerned in Britain, we are certainly cooler than the other parties".
Marvelling at Musk's "cool" factor, Farage has previously said: "The shades, the bomber jacket, the whole vibe.
"Elon makes us cool - Elon is a huge help to us with the young generation, and that will be the case going on, and frankly that’s only just starting."
Despite the two butting heads, Farage has insisted that the pair remain "on good terms".
A month after their fallout, the MP once again called Musk a "hero" as he delivered a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in the US
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Just one month after their fallout, the MP once again called Musk a "hero" as he delivered a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in the US.
In February, Farage said: "I think he is a hero, because if you remember 2020, in November, you couldn't say anything about the conduct of the election in this country.
"You then couldn't say anything about vaccines or about lockdowns without social media closing you down.
"And then along came the hero of free speech, Elon Musk."
