by WorldTribune Staff, May 30, 2024 Contract With Our Readers
Should he return to the White House, Donald Trump is considering a possible advisory role for Tesla leader and X owner Elon Musk, a report said.
Trump and Musk discussed ways that Musk would have formal input and influence over policies related to border security and the economy, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, adding that the discussions are “the latest sign that the once-frosty relationship between the two men has thawed.”
Additionally, Musk and billionaire investor Nelson Peltz have briefed Trump on a plan they have developed to invest in a data-driven project to prevent voter fraud, the report said.
Peltz and Musk also informed Trump of an influence campaign that is already under way in which Musk and his political allies host gatherings of powerful business leaders across the country to try to convince them not to support Joe Biden’s re-election campaign.
“As recently as two years ago, Trump and Musk were publicly trading insults. But in recent months, the two men are developing a friendly rapport and talk on the phone several times a month as the election nears,” the Journal’s report said, citing people familiar with the Trump-Musk talks.
Musk is “motivated by anxieties over the direction of the country,” the report said, citing a person familiar with Musk’s thinking.
Musk has slammed what he calls the “woke mind virus,” which includes leftist policies such as diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Brian Hughes, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, said: “President Trump will be the only voice of what role an individual plays in his presidency.”
Musk served on White House business advisory groups during Trump’s term as president but resigned from them in 2017 after disagreeing with Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord.
Musk and Peltz have told acquaintances they are working on a data-driven project to ensure votes are fairly counted, echoing Trump’s accusations of widespread fraud in the 2020 election, the report said. They described the initiative to Trump during a meeting in March.
Musk has also asked Trump to return to posting more actively on X, especially using the “Spaces” live audio feature, people close to Trump said. Trump dominated the platform when it was known as Twitter, boasting more than 88 million followers at one point.
But Trump, who is eager to protect his Truth Social platform that launched in 2022, has only posted on X once since being reinstated to the platform after Musk bought it. Truth Social is owned by the publicly traded Trump Media & Technology Group, which has a market value close to $9 billion.
In conversations with people close to Trump, Musk has been noncommittal on an endorsement, people familiar with the discussions told the Journal. Publicly, Musk has made clear his displeasure with Biden but has stopped short of endorsing Trump.
Trump talks with Musk included 2025 advisory role, data-driven solution to election fraud added by Editor Two on
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