Trump downplays rumors of Elon Musk's growing influence in Republican politics
Elon Musk's intervention helped derail a key government funding bill, but some political observers wonder how long the alliance can last.
Donald Trump sought to end speculation about Elon Musk's excessive influence in Republican politics, insisting in a conservative rally that the tech billionaire would not usurp his authority as the new president.
"No, he's not going to be president, I can tell you that," Trump told cheering supporters at the Turning Point USA conference in Phoenix on Sunday. "And I'm sure of it." You know why he can't be? He wasn't born in this country. »
The remarks came after a week in which Elon Musk's meddling helped derail a key government funding project, prompting Democratic critics to mockingly call him "President Musk." This prompted one Republican lawmaker to compare Elon Musk to a "prime minister" after praising his role in the funding struggle.
"We have a president, we have a vice president, we have a speaker of the House of Representatives. It's like Elon Musk is our prime minister," Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales said on CBS News' Face the Nation.
Asked about Musk's unelected status, Gonzales defended the billionaire, saying he represented "the voice of the people."
The Tesla CEO and X owner posted more than 100 messages opposing the initial funding plan, calling it "one of the worst bills ever written" and urging Republicans to shut down the government instead of supporting it. His social media bombardment preceded similar opposition from Trump and helped erode Republican support in Congress, forcing House Speaker Mike Johnson to craft a more modest alternative measure.
The episode highlighted Elon Musk's influence in Republican politics after his quarter-billion-dollar donation to Trump's campaign. As the president-elect tapped Musk to co-lead a new nonprofit office focused on cutting government inefficiencies, the deal raised new concerns among Democrats about potential conflicts of interest given Elon Musk's vast business empire.
During debates on the funding bill last week, Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee said in a letter to congressional leaders that Musk had worked to remove provisions that would have increased scrutiny of Chinese investment — suggesting his opposition was prompted by concerns about protecting Tesla's manufacturing plant in Shanghai.
Chris Coons, a Democratic senator from Delaware, warned that this dynamic would only lead to more chaos, telling CNN's State of the Union on Sunday: "We can't just have President-elect Trump tweeting furiously at 4 a.m. . "We're also going to see Elon Musk inject instability into the way we approach very complex and important issues."
Some political observers are wondering how long this alliance can last, given Trump's history of high-profile clashes with supporters that attract a lot of attention.
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"When you start in this role, you have a lot of leverage," former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie told ABC's This Week on Sunday. "It's always going to fall apart. And that's what's going to happen. And you're going to see it. This is also happening with Elon Musk."
Another flashpoint could be the war in Ukraine, a war that Trump has vowed to end quickly but that will come at the expense of Musk's Starlink satellite internet service, which has become crucial to Ukraine's efforts.
Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., has tried to downplay any friction, telling a conference in Phoenix on Thursday: "You see what the media is trying to do to ruin my father's relationship with Elon. They're trying to . . . to cause this disruption to keep these people from doing what they do best, and we can't afford that.
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