Trump and Musk: allies or adversaries in the making?

Something similar is being played out in America’s post-election political landscape, as an apparently annoyed President-elect Donald Trump, soon to take the oath of the nation’s highest office, reportedly observed that his backer Elon Musk, the world’s richest man who donated some $277 million for Trump’s campaign and other Republican issues, was generously handing out advice on running the government, including in Congressional activities.

The recent near shutdown of the government, with both Republicans and Democrats squabbling over budget and other priorities, illustrates the point. Musk publicly opposed a provisional measure aimed at preventing a government shutdown; this was criticised largely by Democrats but also by some Republicans, although Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance also later opposed the measure.

Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy jointly head Trump’s newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), though some Republicans say that this office should make recommendations to Trump on improving government efficiency rather than act on its own on state affairs.

Musk’s interference in sensitive issues concerning government affairs has fetched criticism from both Democrats and, to some extent, also Republicans. Former Congressman, Joe Crowley, of New York described the degree of influence wielded by Musk as “unprecedented” in the hands of an unelected official. He believed that Musk’s outbursts, if continued, could rile the President who would be forced to act against Musk.

While many Democrats saw in Musk’s behaviour an infringement of Trump’s Presidential sovereignty, others taunted the President-elect by calling Musk “President Musk” who was trying to control Trump’s decision-making apparatus; this taunt has, apparently, unnerved the Trump support base which rebuffed by reminding Musk could not become President since he was born in South Africa. To qualify as a Presidential candidate, a person should be born in the United States.

Republican strategist Doug Heye described the Democrat reference to “President Musk” as an attempt to get under Trump’s skin and resort to “just trolling”, saying that such efforts were “not always effective.”

Nevertheless, the reference to “President Musk” is seen by some experts as part of a political strategy by Democrats to drive a wedge between the multi-billionaire who plays by his own rules, and the President-elect who demands “loyalty at any price” and does not tolerate anyone not falling in line with his policies.

Meanwhile, Musk has also been commenting on foreign affairs, a sensitive mine-laden terrain where past American presidents treaded carefully. As the head of the Tesla Group, Musk is present in almost all the world markets, including global flashpoints. Musk is even present in a dominant way in Ukraine, for instance, with his Starlink internet service which serves Ukraine’s resistance against the Russian invasion.

Musk considered himself fit to criticise, just a couple of days back, the British over the handling of grooming gangs or backing the ultra-rightist AfD party which he described as the only one which can “save Germany”, evoking bewilderment among Germany’s established parties. Was Musk representing the views of the future American President?

While Trump and Musk do share many common ideas — they stand, more or less, on the same political plateau, with the former engaging, in an uncontrollable way, in anything political while the latter invariably turning, at every available opportunity, to his own business — they also share traits that reveal their charismatic but also egocentric personalities, and their highly ambitious goals, implicit in Musk’s hint at someday colonising Mars after his space programme, and Trump making America “great again”.

Indeed, as some say, it is a matter of time before Trump breaks off with Musk though such a move could possibly lead to a deep rift within the Republican camp. Many already see the boiling kettle hissing and if it is not removed from the fire, it could easily burst into a strong reaction.

Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who was once a Trump confidante before being shown the door, predicted that Musk’s presently unquestioned position as Trump’s right-hand man was not going to last long.

However, Musk and Trump exhibited their bonhomie as was evident at the New Year’s celebration at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort estate in Florida, with Musk reportedly renting a $2000 per night cottage close to the main residence at the resort. How long this bonhomie will continue, remains to be seen.

Musk, whose generous funding of Trump’s election campaign was lauded by Trump’s support base, may presently be enjoying an uncontested proximity to Trump whose supporters, in a euphoria outburst following the Tesla boss’s huge campaign donations, described Musk and Trump as “political twins” sharing similar ideology. But while the two may be twins, they are not joined at the hip, and can part ways in the future.

Manik Mehta is a New York based journalist who writes extensively on foreign affairs, diplomacy, United Nations, US ties with the Indo-Pacific region, global economics, etc.