Washington: Donald Trump is reportedly considering appointing billionaire Elon Musk as a policy adviser should he reclaim the White House in November’s election, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing sources.
The discussions between Trump and Musk have included ways for Musk, who runs the social media platform X as well as SpaceX and Tesla, to have “formal input and influence” over economic and border security policies, as per WSJ.
The WSJ also reported that Musk informed Trump about his ongoing campaign to sway influential U.S. business leaders away from supporting Democratic President Joe Biden, who defeated Trump in the 2020 election and is seeking a second term.
These talks, which included billionaire investor Nelson Peltz, also discussed funding a “data-driven project to prevent voter fraud,” though no further details were provided.
Representatives for Trump and Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Representatives for the Biden campaign also did not respond immediately.
Trump campaign spokesperson Brian Hughes told the Journal that only Trump will decide “what role an individual plays in his presidency.” The WSJ noted that Musk did not respond to its requests for comment.
In March, after meeting with Trump in Florida, Musk—one of the world’s wealthiest individuals—stated he would not donate money to either Trump or Biden. Instead, he aims “to use his clout … to help defeat Biden by galvanizing the support of influential allies,” said the WSJ, citing a person familiar with his thinking.
In recent years, Musk has increasingly aligned with the Republican Party. He has accused Biden, without evidence, of intentionally allowing migrants to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. Additionally, Musk has endorsed antisemitic comments on X, although he has denied being antisemitic.
Despite his public criticisms of Biden’s policies on immigration, electric vehicles, and tariffs, Musk has not formally endorsed any candidate for the November election, and Trump has stated he is unsure if he has Musk’s support.
Musk’s controversial views have impacted his standing among some consumers, according to a CivicScience survey shown exclusively to Reuters.
Trump, a prolific user of Twitter (now X) before being banned following the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, launched his rival platform Truth Social, owned by Trump Media and Technology Group Corp.
