Political analysts foresee a rocky relationship between President-elect Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, despite Musk’s vocal support throughout the campaign. Both men, known for their penchant for the spotlight, may struggle to share it—a challenge that could strain their dynamic.
On Tuesday, CNN reported that political commentator Kara Swisher, during an interview with CNN anchor Chris Wallace, invoked the famous line from the movie Highlander: “There can be only one.” Swisher asserted that, in this case, “one” would be Trump.
Swisher suggested that Musk’s inclination for media attention could quickly wear thin with Trump, who famously disapproves of sharing the limelight. “Elon craves the spotlight, and that’s bound to irritate Trump,” she said.
The commentator analyzed that if Musk garners too much attention, it could lead to friction with Trump. “Elon craves the spotlight, and that’s bound to irritate Trump.”
In response, host Chris Wallace drew a parallel to Trump’s first term, recalling how Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, quickly fell out of favor once he began receiving massive media attention, including a feature in Time magazine.
Bannon, the founder of the far-right media outlet Breitbart, joined Trump’s campaign as a senior strategist in August 2016. He was widely regarded as Trump’s right-hand man and played a vital role in shaping key policies, including the “America First” agenda and anti-immigration executive orders.
Despite entering the White House with Trump’s administration in January 2017, Bannon was ousted by August of the same year following a series of controversial statements and internal power struggles. Musk has been a loyal supporter of Trump, even before the election. In the weeks leading up to the vote, he campaigned alongside Trump and funded events offering daily $1 million prizes to encourage conservative voter registration in battleground states. Musk was monitoring the results among Trump’s inner circle at Mar-a-Lago on election night.
Trump has hinted publicly at actions that could benefit Musk’s business interests. He suggested reconsidering plans to slow the transition to electric vehicles, expressed support for Musk’s SpaceX venture and Mars exploration plans, and announced intentions to create a government efficiency committee with Musk as the proposed chairperson.
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