Trump downplays talk of Elon Musk’s increasing influence in Republican politics

Donald Trump has moved to quash speculation about Elon Musk’s outsized influence in Republican politics, insisting at a conservative gathering that the tech billionaire would not usurp his authority as incoming president.

“No, he’s not going to be president, that I can tell you,” Trump told cheering supporters at the Turning Point USA conference in Phoenix on Sunday. “And I’m safe. You know why he can’t be? He wasn’t born in this country.”

The remarks came after a week in which Musk’s intervention helped derail a crucial government funding bill, prompting Democratic critics to mockingly refer to him as “President Musk”. It also led one Republican congressman on Sunday to compare Musk to a “prime minister” after praising his role in the funding fight.

“We have a president, we have a vice-president, we have a speaker. It feels like as if Elon Musk is our prime minister,” said Tony Gonzales, a Texas representative, on CBS News’s Face the Nation.

When pressed about Musk’s unelected status, Gonzales defended the billionaire as reflecting “the voice of the people”.

The Tesla chief executive and X owner allegedly posted more than 100 times against the original funding package, calling it “one of the worst bills ever written” and urging Republicans to shut down the government rather than support it. His social media barrage preceded similar opposition from Trump and helped tank support among congressional Republicans, forcing Mike Johnson, the House speaker, to craft a smaller alternative measure.

The episode highlighted Musk’s influence over Republican politics following his quarter-billion-dollar support for Trump’s campaign. While the president-elect has tapped Musk to co-lead a new non-governmental office focused on reducing government inefficiencies, the arrangement has raised fresh concerns from Democrats about potential conflicts of interest given Musk’s vast business empire.

During the funding bill debates last week, Rosa DeLauro, the Connecticut representative and top Democrat on the House appropriations committee, alleged in a letter to congressional leaders that Musk had worked to cut provisions that would have increased scrutiny of Chinese investments – suggesting his opposition was driven by concerns over protecting Tesla’s Shanghai manufacturing plant.

Chris Coons, a Democratic Delaware senator, warned the dynamic telegraphs further chaos, telling CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday: “We’re not just going to have President-elect Trump as a billionaire rage-tweeting at 4am. We’re going to have Elon Musk also injecting instability into how we tackle very complicated and important issues.”

Some political observers question how long the alliance can last, given Trump’s history of falling out with high-profile supporters who draw too much attention.

“When you initially begin in that role, you have enormous influence,” said Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor, on ABC’s This Week on Sunday. “It will always decline. And that’s what happens. And you’ll see it. It will happen with Elon Musk, too.”

One other point of tension could be the war in Ukraine, one that Trump has promised to end swiftly which would come at the expense of Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service, which has become crucial to Ukraine’s effort.

Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr sought to downplay any friction, telling the conference in Phoenix last Thursday: “You see what the media is trying to do to break up the relationship that my father has with Elon. They’re trying to cause that schism to prevent these guys doing what they’re going to do best, and we cannot allow that.”