Trump Says He Would Appoint Elon Musk To Cabinet If Elected

Former President Donald Trump plans to offer a job to his billionaire buddy Elon Musk if elected, Reuters reported on Monday.

His announcement followed a campaign event in York, Pennsylvania, where Reuters asked Trump about the $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles. Trump said he would consider terminating it, and also be open to assigning a cabinet or advisory role to Musk, the Tesla Motors co-founder and CEO.

“He’s a very smart guy. I certainly would, if he would do it, I certainly would. He’s a brilliant guy,” Trump said.

Trump’s recent plans align with a two-hour interaction between the two billionaires last week on Musk’s social media platform.

“I think it would be great to just have a government efficiency commission that takes a look at these things and just ensures that taxpayer money...is spent in a good way,” Musk told Trump. “I’d be happy to help out on such a commission.”

The purpose of the suggested commission would be to cut government spending. 

“You’re the greatest cutter,” Trump told Musk during their conversation last week. “I mean, I look at what you do. You walk in, you just say: ‘You want to quit?’ They go on strike ― I won’t mention the name of the company ― but they go on strike. And you say: ‘That’s okay, you’re all gone.’”

(Musk has laid off a majority of workers at Twitter since taking over. In response to complaints about poor workplace conditions in 2022, he also gave workers an ultimatum: “working long hours at high intensity” or accepting three months of severance pay.)

While the two have had a bumpy relationship, the tides have seemingly shifted. On Thursday, Trump posted a deepfake video on X showing him and Musk dancing. Before that, Musk, who has previously criticized Trump and was briefly a member of Trump’s economic advisory team during his first term, endorsed him last month following the assassination attempt on Trump.