There is no doubt that Elon Musk had a significant role to play in Donald Trump’s victory. The tech billionaire continues to be by the President’s side, at times riding shotgun and at times seemingly taking over the wheel of the presidency.
An area where Elon Musk truly has shown his influence, as of now, is the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Through this department, the SpaceX founder has either tasked himself or has been tasked with auditing various, if not all, government agencies. The motive of the audit is to cut back or completely eradicate wasteful spending.
Just weeks after Donald Trump took office, Elon Musk, through DOGE, influenced him to issue an executive order freezing funding for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The freeze, which is expected to last for 90 days, aims at restricting US foreign development assistance.
View this post on Instagram
Musk has been extremely critical of USAID, calling it “a criminal organization” and has been lobbying for its closure. As of now, the freeze has impacted thousands of programs around the world and has also resulted in shutdowns and layoffs, causing global panic and frenzy.
Elon Musk’s influence has even caused rifts within the Donald Trump Administration and the MAGA camp. Some of Trump’s closest allies and loyalists have supposedly been expressing concerns over the world’s richest man’s rising power and the rate at which he has been bringing about changes.
Despite the disharmony, Elon Musk continues to be one of Trump’s confidantes, joining him on calls with other world leaders and playing an active role in making key decisions.
View this post on Instagram
His presence in the Oval Office has miffed so many people that there have been protests calling for a blockage, preventing Musk from bagging federal contracts while he still holds his role in the Trump Administration.
Elon Musk’s growth has also made many speculate whether he will go on to be the next American President. When asked about the possibility, Donald Trump shut the questioner with a solid no, citing the US law as the reason.
View this post on Instagram
Responding to a question asked during a Republican conference in Phoenix Arizona, Donald Trump said, “He’s not gonna be president, that I can tell you. You know why he can’t be? He wasn’t born in this country”
To those unaware, one has to either be a natural-born American citizen or the child of an American citizen to qualify for the presidential race. The person can also qualify by being born in any region that falls under United States territory.
Since Elon Musk doesn’t fit the bill in any of these 3 ways, the odds of him becoming President are non-existent. However, only time will tell what kind of influence he will further grow to wield as he grows within the Trump Administration.
