Former U.S. President Donald Trump, a candidate in the upcoming U.S. election this November, is considering taking policy advice from Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla.
According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 29th, Trump and Musk are discussing potential policies on border security and the economy in case of his election victory.
Musk recently briefed Trump on a data-driven project aimed at preventing election fraud, with billionaire activist investor Nelson Peltz also in attendance.
Despite openly arguing just two years ago, Trump and Musk have notably improved their relationship and are now in frequent communication, discussing and forming consensus on various topics such as immigration, technology, science, and space.
The WSJ reported, “Musk has been directly calling Trump and exchanging views, confirming that their opinions and interests align,” and “Trump said he wants to find a way to involve Musk, one of the wealthiest people in the world, in the government if he wins in November.”
Discussions further cover topics such as Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly Twitter), all run by Musk. It’s worth noting whether Trump, who has shown a negative attitude towards electric vehicles (EV), will reconsider his campaign promises, such as abolishing EV subsidies and imposing tariffs on Chinese EVs.
Musk opposes the re-election of U.S. President Joe Biden and was recently reported to have explored strategies to prevent Biden’s re-election at a dinner meeting with business leaders in Los Angeles.
The advisory role that Musk appears to hold could be comparable to that of special presidential assistant, a position held by former Marvel Chairman Isaac Perlmutter during the Trump administration. Isaac advised on budget, software procurement, and record-keeping systems for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
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