What's New
Appearing on CNN, former White House official Anthony Scaramucci said Elon Musk was in a "perilous situation" with President-elect Donald Trump after some commentators began suggesting that the tech billionaire was the real incoming president.
Referring to comments Trump made on Sunday about being "safe" from a Musk presidency because the Tesla CEO "wasn't born in this country," Scaramucci said, "If it didn't bother him ... he wouldn't be bringing it up."
Newsweek contacted Scaramucci for comment via LinkedIn, Trump's presidential transition team via email, and Musk via the SpaceX and Tesla press offices on Tuesday outside regular office hours.
Why It Matters
Musk has become one of the most influential figures in Trump's inner circle over the past few months, spending at least $277 million backing the Republican presidential nominee and other GOP candidates in November. The Tesla and SpaceX boss also provided vocal support on X, formerly Twitter, which he purchased in October 2022.
After winning the election, Trump announced that Musk, along with fellow business owner Vivek Ramaswamy, would co-lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency.
A break between Trump and Musk would likely have major ramifications for the incoming administration and Republican Party.
What To Know
On Monday, CNN host Wolf Blitzer asked Scaramucci, who served as Trump's White House director of communications for 10 days in July 2017, whether he saw the relationship between Musk and the president-elect "turning sour anytime soon."
Referring to Trump's view of the attention Musk was receiving, Scaramucci said: "He doesn't like it. But I think what's happening is, he also knows that a lot of the stuff coming from the left is premeditated, and so that's what's shielding him for right now, but he won't like it. The more attention Elon gets—if there's a problem, he'll look to blame Elon or somebody else on his team.
"If you just look at what's going on with Speaker Johnson right now. Prior to getting that spending bill passed, they were calling him a Democrat. It's a perilous situation. There's a honeymoon period going on right now, but trust me, he doesn't like it. He wouldn't be bringing it up—if it didn't bother him, Wolf, he wouldn't be bringing it up."
Last week, Musk vocally opposed a bipartisan spending bill negotiated by Speaker Mike Johnson, branding it "horrible." The legislation was scrapped after Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance also rejected it in a joint statement.
Trump then backed a stripped down funding bill that would have suspended the debt limit for two years, but it was voted down in the House by a combination of Democrats and Republican rebels. On Friday, the House passed a limited funding bill to prevent an imminent partial government shutdown.
In response to Musk's apparent influence, some Democrats and other commentators have begun calling him "President Musk" on social media.
On Sunday, Trump addressed this trend at a Turning Point USA event: "He's not going to be president. That I can tell you. And I'm safe. You know why? He can't be. He wasn't born in this country."
What People Are Saying
Ron Filipkowski, the editor-in-chief of the self-styled "pro-democracy" media outlet MeidasTouch, wrote on X about Trump's remarks at the Turning Point USA event: "The fact that he is even talking about this today shows how much President Musk is bothering him."
Commentator Jim Stewartson wrote on X: "Since Elon Musk is the President now, I want to see his birth certificate."
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders wrote on X: "Democrats and Republicans spent months negotiating a bipartisan agreement to fund our government. The richest man on Earth, President Elon Musk, doesn't like it. Will Republicans kiss the ring? Billionaires must not be allowed to run our government."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen how the relationship between Musk and Trump will develop once the president-elect is inaugurated on January 20 and regains control over government policy.
Any breach between the two men would be a major challenge for Trump, given Musk's influence with the Republican grassroots and his control over the social media platform X.
English (US) ·