Donald Trump and Elon Musk have discussed a possible advisory role for the Tesla, $TSLA, leader should the presumptive Republican nominee reclaim the White House.
Elon Musk and Donald Trump have been communicating regularly, with Trump seeking Musk's support as he prepares for a potential return to the White House in 2024, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
Once at odds, the two men have been speaking several times a month since March, discussing policy issues and strategizing. This rapprochement comes as Trump aims to attract influential donors and Musk looks to promote his policy ideas. These conversations reportedly began after they met at billionaire Nelson Peltz’s estate in March.
Musk has become increasingly vocal about policy matters, including immigration. In March, he tweeted, “America will fall if it tries to absorb the world.”
While Musk has stated he will not financially support either presidential campaign, he has allegedly told Trump he plans to host events to persuade wealthy allies against backing Joe Biden.
The relationship between Musk and Trump was strained in the past, with Trump calling Musk “another bullshit artist” at a 2022 rally, and Musk tweeting that Trump should “hang up his hat and sail into the sunset.” Musk briefly served on Trump’s White House business advisory group but left after Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate accord in 2017.
However, their relationship has improved. After Musk acquired Twitter and renamed it X in 2022, he reinstated Trump’s account. Musk has encouraged Trump to be more active on X, but Trump has remained loyal to his own platform, Truth Social.
Following their March meeting, Trump told CNBC, “I’ve been friendly with him over the years. I helped him when I was president. I helped him. I’ve liked him.”
Musk, the owner of Tesla and SpaceX, has benefited from federal government policies and contracts, including rocket-service contracts and tax credits for electric vehicles. Despite this, Trump and Musk have differing views on electric vehicles, with Trump opposing increased EV production and supporting tariffs on foreign EVs.
Nelson Peltz has played a crucial role in bridging the gap between Trump and Musk. Peltz and Musk have informed Trump about a large data-driven project aimed at ensuring fair vote counting, though details of the project remain unclear.
