Donald Trump enlists Elon Musk as potential White House advisor

The presidential elections in the USA are approaching quickly. The Wall Street Journal writes that a win by Donald Trump could propel billionaire Elon Musk to a significant role in the White House. The Tesla owner could take on an advisory position in the Republican administration.

The once-feuding businessmen have recently developed closer relations, writes "WSJ". Similar views on topics such as immigration have brought them together. They are also reported to regularly speak on the phone about technology, science, electric cars, and Space Forces.

The newspaper indicates that during a March meeting in Florida with Musk and another billionaire, Nelson Peltz, Trump told the Tesla owner that he "wants to find a way for him to be more involved."

Although it is unclear what role Musk would play in the White House, "WSJ" reports that it would be similar to former Marvel Comics publisher Isaac Perlmutter, who served as an advisor in the Department of Veterans Affairs during Trump’s administration. During Trump's first term, the Tesla owner was part of an informal group of business advisors but left in protest against the former US president’s withdrawal from the Paris climate accords.

During the aforementioned March meeting, Musk and Peltz proposed an investment in a "data-driven project" to combat election fraud. The Tesla CEO is also engaged in rallying other billionaires to support Trump.

To this end, he convened a secret meeting with conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch, former Treasury Secretary and film producer Steven Mnuchin, and Peter Thiel, a known right-wing ally and former Musk associate. The discussions were about how billionaires could quietly finance Trump’s campaign.

The South African-born billionaire claimed he voted for Joe Biden in 2020. In recent years, however, he has begun to express right-wing views publicly. On social media, especially on the platform he acquired, Twitter (later rebranded to X), he regularly interacted with far-right figures and openly supported Republicans in the 2022 parliamentary elections.

Despite Trump regularly criticizing electric cars during his campaign and claiming that focusing on them would kill the US automotive industry, he had unofficial discussions with Musk about the tax incentives introduced by the Biden administration for purchasing electric cars. Tesla's owner has criticized the subsidies, even though his company is one of the primary beneficiaries of this policy.

The presidential elections in the United States are scheduled for 5 November 2024.