Elon Musk, the billionaire Tesla CEO and one of US President-elect Donald Trump’s closest allies, has been spending “nearly every day” with Trump at his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, while holding telephonic conversations with world leaders, according to reports.
Musk has been constantly at Trump’s Florida residence since last week’s election, dining with him on the patio and also joining him on the golf course, The Independent reported, quoting CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins.
“Musk has been in the room when world leaders called Trump, and tonight we’ve learned he’s also weighing in on staffing decisions – making clear his preference for certain roles, even,” Collins said on Sunday night.
“While Musk himself is still not expected to take any kind of formal position, given how complicated it would be with his companies, what’s becoming clearer tonight is that he doesn’t really need to – with one source telling me Elon Musk is having just as much influence from the outside.”
During a CNN broadcast on Sunday morning, tech journalist Kara Swisher said that Musk is not going anywhere “until Trump throws him out. Which could happen, because they’re both really strong personalities who like to be at the centre of attention.”
Musk was also seen chatting at dinner alongside incoming First Lady Melania Trump in Palm Beach, and also spending time with Trump’s grandchildren, Daily Mail reported.
Further, the billionaire joined Trump on a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week. However, he did not have a formal role within the quickly forming administration.
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Earlier in September, Trump pointed to an inside role for Musk during his New York speech.
Musk has become one of the closest allies of Trump and has not only donated at least USD 132 million to him and other Republicans but also had regularly appeared at his rallies.
Moreover, he was also seen in many of Trump’s family photos, standing alongside the Trump clan, excluding his wife Melania, in a post-election group picture.
Musk has been weighing in not just on who should serve in US government but also over the power of the executive and the Senate.
Trump during his election night speech said, “We have to protect our geniuses, we don’t have that many of them”, while saluting Musk, who jumped on stage during his second rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
(With inputs from agencies)