Elon Musk given dire warning about his budding bromance with Trump

An author and historian believes the ‘bromance’ between Elon Musk and Donald Trump will be short-lived.

After supporting him and helping implement parts of his campaign, Musk has emerged as a powerful adviser and gatekeeper with enormous influence in the early hours of the Trump transition.

David Nasaw, a history professor who has written several books about the intersection of history’s great men and politics, doesn’t see this lasting long, saying, “the bromance won’t last long.”

He says Trump’s inability to share credit for his successes will make it impossible for him and Musk to coexist for long.

Nasaw writes: ‘There is room for only one star, one genius in Trump White House. He will not share his victory and center of attention with anyone. And why would he? Having spent over a hundred million dollars to secure his election, what else would you have to offer?”

David Nasaw, a history professor who has written several books about the intersection of history’s great men and politics, doesn’t see this lasting long, saying “the bromance won’t last.”

He quotes former eccentric wealthy men like Andrew Carnegie, William Randolph Hearst, and Joseph Kennedy, all of whom tried to parlay their largesse into real political influence, with varying degrees of success.

Ironically, Kennedy’s grandson, RFK Jr., was himself vying for a position within the Trump Cabinet.

Nasaw says Musk’s fatal flaw is that he made specific demands of Trump during the campaign, including the chance to head a newly created Department of Government Efficiency.

“Do you really believe he’s going to give that to you?” This is not a man for whom loyalty is a strong suit. As president, he said goodbye to his chief of staff, his deputy chief of staff, his press secretary, his national security adviser and his chief strategist. And that was only in his first year as president,” he writes in the newspaper New York Times.

He also believes that Musk’s plan to cut $2 trillion in government spending will not be approved, even by Republicans in Congress.

He also quoted Howard Lutnick, co-chair of Trump’s transition team, as saying Musk “wouldn’t be in government.”

“To insure against premature dismissal, as you have already announced, you can remain involved in politics, with your well-funded political action committee ready to ‘weigh heavily’ during the midterm elections and beyond. You might even see the writing on the wall,” Nasaw added.

Trump first played an inside role for Musk during a speech in New York in September.

Trump first played an inside role for Musk during a speech in New York in September

It was unusual at the time and came before Musk would pour at least $119 million into Trump’s race and campaign across Pennsylvania.

“I will create a Commission on Government Efficiency charged with conducting a complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government,” Trump promised.

“I look forward to serving America when the opportunity arises,” the Tesla and Space X boss wrote in response to X. “No pay, no title, no recognition needed.”

That role, while important to the budget of a federal workforce bracing for a second Trump term, now seems like an afterthought for Musk, whose business achievements Trump talked about in nearly every campaign rally during the final weeks of the campaign.

Because it stayed within the bounds of efficiency and staffing, it had the chance of being little more than another “Reinventing Government” committee or Blue Ribbon panel.

The billionaire Tesla CEO and

He is also wading into the debate over reforming the bureaucracy and allowing lawmakers to take traditional paths to confirm Trump’s Cabinet appointments.

And he has been spotted chatting at dinner next to new First Lady Melania in Palm Beach and spending time with Trump’s many grandchildren.

Using his X-platform – a massive online presence that can influence politics around the world – is just part of his growing political power.

Musk has been spotted repeatedly at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the election, thanking him on stage on election night.

And he even joined Trump last week on a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, despite playing no formal role in the quickly forming government.

Now Musk is weighing not only who should serve in government, but also the power of the executive branch and the Senate. “We have to protect our geniuses, we don’t have that many,” Trump said during his election night speech, greeting the billionaire who jumped on stage at his second rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

At times, Musk’s role has taken elements from a lower-level communications officer.

But his posts also reveal his role in determining who joins the government, amid the long-held axiom that personnel is power.