Name: Musk embraces role as First Buddy
Uploaded: 2024-11-16T03:12:40.882Z
Duration: 2 min 49 s
Description: Elon Musk has been at Trump’s side at Mar a Lago and in Washington since the election. How great is his influence? And could he wear out his welcome?

Elon Musk has been at Trump’s side at Mar a Lago and in Washington since the election. How great is his influence? And could he wear out his welcome?

Palm Beach

Donald Trump is preparing to take office after defeating Kamala Harris in the U.S. Presidential election.

U.S. Presidential Elect

Elon Musk, the prominent tech billionaire, has become a frequent presence alongside U.S. President-elect Donald Trump since the recent election, with Musk jokingly referred to by Trump as his "new best friend." At Mar-a-Lago, Trump's residence, frequent sightings of Musk have been reported, indicating his significant influence in Trump's inner circle. Additionally, Musk accompanied Trump on a trip to Washington on Trump's private jet and was present at a meeting with House Republicans.

Musk, who has been selected by Trump to co-head a new Department of Government Efficiency, has reportedly been in close association with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, partaking in dinners with the president-elect and his family. In a social media post, Trump's granddaughter even referred to Musk as achieving "uncle status." Analysts have commented on Musk's close relationship with Trump, a dynamic characterized by their shared personalities and presence. Musk himself embraced the term "first buddy" in reference to his relationship with Trump.

Reports indicate that Musk has joined Trump in post-election calls with international leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Musk has also met at Mar-a-Lago with several diplomats, such as Argentina's president and Iran's ambassador to the UN. The tech mogul has provided input on staffing decisions within Trump's circle. Observers have raised concerns about Musk potentially overshadowing Trump and the implications of this influence on Musk's business, particularly given Musk's companies facing federal investigations.

Financially, Musk has seen a significant increase in wealth since Trump's election triumph, with reported gains of approximately $70 billion due to the surge in Tesla's stock value.



Musk embraces role as 'First Buddy'

Take over, Elon. Yes, take over. Elon Musk, the billionaire new best friend of Donald Trump, has been such a constant presence with the president-elect in recent days that Trump joked about it at Mar-a-Lago. I can't get him out of here. He just likes this place. When Musk flew to Washington with Trump this week on Trump's private plane and attended a meeting with House Republicans, Trump joked, I can't get rid of him. He also has more proximity to president-elect Trump right now than Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance. Musk, who's been tapped by Trump to co-lead a new Department of Government efficiency, has, according to sources who spoke to CNN's Caitlin Collins, been omnipresent with Trump at Mar-a-Lago since the election, exerting enormous influence over the president-elect, dining with Trump, hanging out at the golf course with the Trump family. When the Trumps were posing for family photos like this one the day after the election, the president-elect encouraged Musk and his young son, X, to be included. We have to get Elon with his boy. Absolutely. Trump's granddaughter, Kai Trump, posting a photo with the caption, Elon achieving uncle status. Maybe one thing that attracts Elon Musk to Donald Trump and Donald Trump to Elon Musk is that they're kind of the same person. They like being the one person in the room. They like walking into a room and sucking all the oxygen out of it. Following this comment from CNN analyst Gloria Borger, I think Musk is becoming like first buddy. Musk posted, quote, I'm happy to be the first buddy. Musk has sat in on Trump's post-election phone calls with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other leaders. Posted this photo from Mar-a-Lago after meeting with Argentina's president there. And according to the New York Times, Musk met with Iran's ambassador to the UN. He's also weighed in on staffing decisions. But is Musk overextending with Trump's inner circle? The New York Times reports that one recent evening, Musk walked into the dining room at Mar-a-Lago about 30 minutes after Trump did and received a similar standing ovation to the president-elect. There is some conventional wisdom if you followed the first Trump presidency, which is that if you begin to overshadow the principal, it usually ends quite badly. Then there's the matter of the enormous power Musk could have with his new portfolio. Musk's companies face multiple federal investigations, some of them by agencies whose budgets he might be able to cut. He's now positioning himself to have potential oversight of the agencies that are investigating him. That would be an unprecedented level of conflict of interest. No matter when or how this high-powered partnership between Elon Musk and Donald Trump ends, Musk seems to have already benefited from it financially. It's been reported that since Trump's election victory, Musk has gotten about $70 billion richer on paper, much of that due to Tesla's stock skyrocketing.

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