It's not official yet, but the numbers speak for themselves. Donald Trump won the US presidential electiona much wider margin than expected on the eve. Not surprisingly, he has already gone up on stage to pronounce his victory speech. He stated that “The Golden Age Arrives for America” and launched an unusual (for him) appeal for unity. Then he went on a long series of thanks. And among the people to whom he said “thank you” there was also him, Elon Musk The man who in recent months has been Trump's greatest ally in the race towards the White House, which supported him in every way, personally spending himself and above all shelling out millions of dollars to get him elected.
Musk's countless adventures to help Trump
Since last July, Musk has attended Trump rallies and held his own, consistently promoted his candidacy on X (formerly Twitter), the social network he owns where he has over 200 million followers and where he also published a 3-hour interview in which the tycoon was able to say everything and the opposite of everything. He even moved to Pennsylvania, a decisive state for the victory, to try to collect as many votes as possible. But above all, he supported him financially.
According to the calculations, in fact, Musk reportedly spent over $120 million to support Trump's campaign, not to mention the 1 million lottery per day launched right in the Northeastern State. And it is no coincidence, therefore, that among the symbolic images of the election night just ended, there is precisely the one that portrays Elon Musk alongside Trump in the former president's villa in Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, while they await the results of the polls.
We may never know how decisive Musk's support was for the tycoon's re-election, but it is impossible to deny that it had an impact. However, at this point many are asking themselves a question: “why did he do it, why did Elon Musk spend so much to get Trump elected?”. For years, the South African billionaire has kept away from politics, without siding with anyone and remaining on the sidelines of a debate that did not seem to interest him. Then, in recent months, he has reached the opposite extreme, showing a political interventionism that no other entrepreneur of his caliber had ever shown. There have been many endorsements and there will continue to be, but participation like this has never been seen before. So much so that speculation, fears and predictions about what will be Musk's real role now that Trump has been elected there are a lot of them.
Musk Super Minister of Efficiency?
Trump has already announced that the “supergenius” – as he called him in his victory speech – will have a role in his administration. He even said that he could appoint him as “Cost-cutting Secretary” which will deal with “comprehensive financial and performance control of the entire federal government,” but also with formulating “recommendations for drastic reforms“. A role that is more necessary than ever, considering how much the massive tax cuts promised by the tycoon during his election campaign will cost.
Musk, for his part, has already created an acronym for what he believes his role will be: “Doge” which stands for Department of Government Efficiency. We could translate it as “minister of Efficiency” who, according to him, will save the new Trump administration approximately 2.000 billion dollars a year, a huge figure, considered unrealistic by experts, which could translate into equally huge cuts in healthcare, defense and above all in personnel, layoffs like those already carried out by Musk in his companies without a fight.
Meanwhile, speaking on Tucker Carlson's program, the billionaire stressed that he would be "happy to help government be more efficient. I think we need to cut red tape, cut too much regulation, cut federal agencies. We create new agencies all the time, and that costs people money,” Musk said, adding that “America is a nation of builders” and “soon you will be free to build.”
Musk Shadow President and the Possible Conflict of Interest
Many, many people believe that in reality, behind Musk's moves there is the will to obtain economic benefits from the new administration which, also thanks to its majority in the Senate and (probably) in the House, will be able to act undisturbed for at least the next two years. The billionaire, in fact, could ask for tax cuts in return, but also the cancellation of federal laws and regulations in the sectors in which his numerous companies operate.
But there's more. Because many believe that Musk's true intention is to act as a sort of “shadow president”, capable of maneuvering what has now effectively become the oldest president in the history of the United States. In short, not being able to enter the Oval Office himself (he was born in South Africa), he will settle for doing so through a third party. And if at first glance it is difficult to think of "Trump" as a kind of puppet, it is not so difficult to believe that Musk actually has a modicum of profit.
In this context, another equally important issue must also be considered, concerning the many numerous and probable conflicts of interest that would arise if the billionaire took a role in the new administration. Musk's companies already collaborate with the NASA and with the Pentagon, not to mention the fundamental role it is assuming Starlink which with its satellites brings the internet everywhere in the world. Recently, Musk has also entered the sector ofartificial intelligence, with a company called xAI.
Musk “will have unprecedented conflicts of interest, if, as it seems, he becomes a czar of government efficiency,” writes the US network NBC News, speaking of potential benefits for his companies “wide-ranging: from the possibility of having an influence on regulatory issues such as labor laws and environmental protection, to lower tax rates and the possibility of obtaining more government contracts for SpaceX”. And the first effects are already starting to be seen today on Wall Street, where Tesla stock gains 13% in pre-market trading.
“The future will be extraordinary,” Musk tweeted this morning to celebrate his victory. Whether for himself or for others, however, is anyone’s guess.
