US President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday (Dec 22) at a Republican conference in Phoenix, Arizona tried to placate the concern of young conservatives over the influence Elon Musk wields over him and promised: “He’s not gonna be president”.
Trump’s statement comes as, increasingly, from within the Republican Party and outside, concerns are being raised about the significant influence Musk holds over him.
He then cited the constitutional requirement that only natural-born US citizens are eligible for the role. Musk, born in South Africa, is legally barred from holding the office.
The president-elect also unveiled bold plans for his second term, including his plans to make it official US policy “that there are only two genders, male and female.”
Trump on Musk: Not eligible for President
Responding to claims that Musk wields outsized sway over him, Trump quashed any suggestion of the Tesla CEO ascending to the presidency.
“He’s not gonna be president, that I can tell you,” Trump declared.
Trump’s remarks follow criticism from Democrats, branding Musk “President Musk” due to his high-profile role as the incoming “efficiency czar” in the Trump 2.0 administration. Reports suggest that Republicans, too, are growing uneasy after Musk derailed a government funding deal with a flood of misleading social media posts, almost triggering a government shutdown. Trump waved off concerns about ceding the presidency to Musk and said, “No, no, that’s not happening.”
Trump targets LGBTQ community
Trump doubled down on conservative priorities, promising swift action on transgender issues and vowed to “stop the transgender lunacy”. He also announced plans to sign executive orders banning transgender individuals from the military and restricting discussions of gender identity in schools.
“I will sign executive orders to end child sexual mutilation, get transgender out of the military and out of our elementary schools and middle schools and high schools,” said Trump.
He then pledged to “keep men out of women’s sports” and declared it would become “official US policy” that “there are only two genders, male and female.”
Immigration crackdown
Going back to his favourite topic, immigration, Trump once again pledged to launch “the largest deportation operation in American history.” He vowed to “immediately” designate drug cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations,” a move he said would dismantle what he called a “criminal network operating on American soil.”
Casting his presidency as a fresh chapter for the nation, Trump described his vision of a “golden age of America,” and said that he will “end the war in Ukraine. I will stop the chaos in the Middle East, and I will prevent, I promise, World War III.” However, he provided few details on how these objectives would be met.
(With inputs from agencies)