For the past 48 hours, Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club has been abuzz with activity, populated by two types of people: those hoping to secure a role in the incoming Trump administration, and those seeking a role in the incoming Trump administration. was a key figure in trying to influence Trump's recruiting team. However, among this group of people, a looming but influential figure is the technology billionaire Elon Musk.
Since Trump won the election last week, the technology mogul has appeared at his resort in Palm Beach, Florida, almost every day. Musk sometimes dined with Trump on the patio and spent Sundays with his family on the golf course.
Musk is often there when world leaders call Trump. He weighed in on personnel decisions and even made clear his preference for certain positions. Musk was with Trump when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Trump to congratulate him the day after the election, according to a source familiar with the call. During the call, Zelensky also specifically thanked Musk for providing communication support to Ukraine through his starlink Internet service.
On Sunday, Musk waded further into the dispute over Republican Senate leadership. Musk also expressed his views as Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott quickly backed Trump's demand that anyone vying for the leadership position support his nominee's recess appointment. It's a ploy by Trump to try to bypass Congress, but it's met with strong opposition from Senate Democrats.
Musk is not only close to Trump, but also maintains a good relationship with Howard Lutnick, the co-chairman of Trump's transition team. Howard, the billionaire CEO of financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, is in charge of staffing the transition team.
Sources said that Trump is very fascinated by Musk. In his victory speech early Wednesday morning, Trump said: "We have to protect our genius, because there is not a lot of genius."
Although Musk himself is not officially expected to hold a senior position in the Trump administration, he There's actually no need to do this. Sources pointed out that Musk’s external influence is also huge. While Trump and Musk have publicly discussed the possibility of Musk leading an efficiency commission to cut federal spending, CNN reported on Thursday that a source familiar with conversations close to Musk said that considering this Given the possible impact of his role at the company, it seems unlikely that Musk would accept a full-time government position.
Instead, it is more likely that Musk will be appointed to a Blue Ribbon Commission, where he would still have substantial access while not being bound by government ethics rules. The rules required him to divest or place assets in a blind trust to avoid conflicts of interest.
As of mid-October, Musk has donated nearly $119 million to the political action committee he established to support Trump, according to Federal Election Commission filings. He also attended rallies with Trump and hosted friendly interviews with Trump on his social media platform x.
Musk’s bold bet on Trump paid off almost immediately. The day after the election, investors pushed Tesla shares up nearly 15%. That increased the value of the 411 million shares Musk directly owns by more than $15 billion and set a two-year high for Tesla stock overall.
For the past 48 hours, Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club has been abuzz with activity, populated by two types of people: those hoping to secure a role in the incoming Trump administration, and those seeking a role in the incoming Trump administration. was a key figure in trying to influence Trump's recruiting team. However, among this group of people, a looming but influential figure is the technology billionaire Elon Musk.
Since Trump won the election last week, the technology mogul has appeared at his resort in Palm Beach, Florida, almost every day. Musk sometimes dined with Trump on the patio and spent Sundays with his family on the golf course.
Musk is often there when world leaders call Trump. He weighed in on personnel decisions and even made clear his preference for certain positions. Musk was with Trump when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Trump to congratulate him the day after the election, according to a source familiar with the call. During the call, Zelensky also specifically thanked Musk for providing communication support to Ukraine through his starlink Internet service.
On Sunday, Musk waded further into the dispute over Republican Senate leadership. Musk also expressed his views as Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott quickly backed Trump's demand that anyone vying for the leadership position support his nominee's recess appointment. It's a ploy by Trump to try to bypass Congress, but it's met with strong opposition from Senate Democrats.
Musk is not only close to Trump, but also maintains a good relationship with Howard Lutnick, the co-chairman of Trump's transition team. Howard, the billionaire CEO of financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, is in charge of staffing the transition team.
Sources said that Trump is very fascinated by Musk. In his victory speech early Wednesday morning, Trump said: "We have to protect our genius, because there is not a lot of genius."
Although Musk himself is not officially expected to hold a senior position in the Trump administration, he There's actually no need to do this. Sources pointed out that Musk’s external influence is also huge. While Trump and Musk have publicly discussed the possibility of Musk leading an efficiency commission to cut federal spending, CNN reported on Thursday that a source familiar with conversations close to Musk said that considering this Given the possible impact of his role at the company, it seems unlikely that Musk would accept a full-time government position.
Instead, it is more likely that Musk will be appointed to a Blue Ribbon Commission, where he would still have substantial access while not being bound by government ethics rules. The rules required him to divest or place assets in a blind trust to avoid conflicts of interest.
As of mid-October, Musk has donated nearly $119 million to the political action committee he established to support Trump, according to Federal Election Commission filings. He also attended rallies with Trump and hosted friendly interviews with Trump on his social media platform x.
Musk’s bold bet on Trump paid off almost immediately. The day after the election, investors pushed Tesla shares up nearly 15%. That increased the value of the 411 million shares Musk directly owns by more than $15 billion and set a two-year high for Tesla stock overall.
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