Elon Musk has established himself in the early hours of the Trump transition as a powerful advisor and gatekeeper with enormous influence.
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.
Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk entered the Senate leadership race, dined with Donald and Melania Trump and is playing a role in Trump’s transition
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Musk endorsed Florida Senator Rick Scott, the most Trump-aligned candidate in the battle for the new Republican-led Senate.
The race to fill the leadership position of Trump antagonist Senator Mitch McConnell is heating up this week.
While Scott, South Dakota’s John Thune and Texas’ John Cornyn all vie for the top role, it remains to be seen whether Musk’s support tips the scales in the Floridian’s favor.
Musk’s
‘You are the media; the voice of the people,” the X account posted, with the multi-billionaire owner reposting and amplifying the message to his millions of followers.
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.
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.
On Sunday, Trump placed a loyalty test on Musk’s X platform amid a three-way race to lead the Senate Republican Conference and there for the Senate.
Musk was a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago, appearing in an image posted by Donald Trump Jr.’s daughter Kai Trump.
Musk jumped on stage during Trump’s second rally in Butler, Pennsylvania
Elon Musk has gotten close to Melania Trump, the two are seen with Musk’s son at Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden in October
“Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without which we cannot get people confirmed in a timely manner. Sometimes the votes can take two years or more,” Trump wrote.
Musk chimed in with his own immediate response: “This is essential. There is no other way.’
Musk made a major endorsement Sunday in the three-way race for the GOP leader in the Senate
Channeling Trump, he wrote on the platform he bought for $44 billion: “Without recess appointments, it will take two years or more to confirm the new administration! This would make it impossible to implement the change demanded by the American people, which is completely unacceptable.”
That happened despite the fact that Trump was able to confirm his nominees with Republican control of the Senate, even after a Supreme Court ruling limited the ability to use the expedited process.
It created a new loyalty challenge with future Senate leaders, and all three immediately complied.
At times, Musk’s role has taken elements from a lower-level communications officer.
“Congratulations to @RealTomHomanon who will be given the responsibility of enforcing our borders!” he wrote, shortly after Trump appointed the former ICE official as the “czar” responsible for deportations and the border, along with aviation, maritime and border security.
But his posts also reveal his role in determining who joins the government, amid the long-held axiom that personnel is power.
“A group of revolutionaries with a small government will save our nation. It is the only way,” wrote entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who supports Trump.
‘Absolute!’ Musk wrote back. “It would be interesting to hear recommendations for roles in the new administration for the president’s consideration.”