'President Musk': Inside Donald Trump and the billionaire's bromance

Many have speculated that Donald Trump would soon tire of Elon Musk after the world’s richest man helped pave his way to victory. But the US President was full of praise for his unelected lieutenant when the two sat down for an unorthodox interview with Fox News. “I love the president,” said Musk in return. “Not once have I seen him do something that was mean, or cruel, or wrong.”. Musk and Trump are hyper aware that the media is alert to any cracks in their relationship. “Elon called me,” Trump related. “He said ‘you know they’re trying to drive us apart?’ I said, ‘absolutely’. They say, ‘Donald Trump has ceded control of the presidency to Elon Musk. President Musk will be attending a cabinet meeting.”.

The South African billionaire has been holding press conferences alongside the President from the Oval Office, and hosted a meeting with India’s President Modi. Trump and Musk have seemingly been inseparable since the night of their election victory, which they welcomed together at the Mar-a-Lago resort "We have a new star, a star is born: Elon. He's an amazing guy,” Trump trumpeted in his rambling victory speech. “We were sitting together tonight. You know, he spent two weeks in Philadelphia, in different parts of Pennsylvania, campaigning.".

Before he even set foot in the White House (again), Trump announced that the Tesla owner will lead the new Department of Government Efficiency, Those familiar with Musk’s portfolio of businesses quickly noticed that as an acronym this is DOGE, which is also the name of the crypto token money-loving Musk has promoted. Trump might have said that Musk had been campaigning for him for “two weeks” on the night of his election, but the new role for the tech billionaire was the culmination of many months of supporting Trump’s bid to become president for a second time.

Back in February, Musk (net worth: $264.7 billion, per Forbes) held secret talks with fellow billionaires where he voiced his support for Trump net worth $5.6 billion, per Forbes) and founded America Pac, a political action committee dedicated to funding the Republican candidate’s push to return to power. Initially, Musk flew under the radar, allowing his wealthy friends to publicly invest before he went public on July 1st 2024, donating $119 million in the run up to the election.

America PAC used the funding to get the vote out for Trump, sending canvassers out via subcontractors to battleground states. Musk also backed a raffle in swing states where voters who signed the America PAC petition – pledging support for free speech and gun rights – would be entered with a chance to win $1 million. And yes, Musk joined Trump at rallies in Pennsylvania, a state that has just swung Republican.

Musk did not do all this for free. As part of the “efficiency commission” he is wielding the power to audit the federal government — the legislative, executive and judiciary branches of the US government, over which the President presides. Musk is carrying out his desire to slash regulations on worker’s rights and environmental protections, and raise import tariffs. “I can’t wait. There is a lot of waste and needless regulation in government that needs to go,” Musk wrote on X.

The federal government and Musk have been at loggerheads for years. In 2018, Musk was personally fined $20 million and his company Tesla was fined another $20 million by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for allegedly misleading investors. The financial regulator also ordered him to step down as Tesla chairman. The SEC came for Musk again in 2022, after Musk failed to file paperwork relating to his takeover of Twitter.

And then there’s Space X, Musk’s rocket manufacturing and private space exploration company he founded in 2002. NASA had already contracted Space X to design the Starship, which aims to put American astronauts back on the Earth’s singular natural satellite. Musk has essentially promised Trump the moon on a stick — and more. “Elon, get those rocket ships going,” said Trump. “We want to reach Mars before the end of my term.”.

Not only could Musk get his spaceships onto Mars, fulfilling his dream of off-world colonisation, he has also gained power over the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) – another government agency that’s been annoying him. The FAA introduced a rocket launch licensing regime known as Part 450 in 2021, and Space X’s Starship programme has faced delays under it. The FAA also fined Space X $633,009 in September for violating launch licences with two of its Falcon 9 launches last year. Musk has threatened to sue.

As the efficiency czar, Musk has his shot at revenge. As the 45th President, Trump was no fan of the federal government, signing executive orders that would make it easier to fire federal employees. Trump has had plenty of tangles with the legal system too, recently, having been found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in New York. If Trump had lost the election, he may well have gone to prison. Now he’s set to return to the White House as America’s first convicted felon for a commander in chief - partly thanks to Musk’s backing.