The Donald Trump-Elon Musk love affair continues. Since throwing his lot in with the presidential hopeful a few months ago, the controversial tech magnate has been a fixture at rallies and town halls, jumping excitedly, doling out novelty checks, and blasting Democrats with bogus claims.
His X account has become a mouthpiece for Trumpian sentiment, sharing AI-generated images of Kamala Harris and attacking the mainstream media. Behind the scenes, his America Pac has contributed funding to the tune of $75 million. Billionaires have stumped for presidential candidates in the past, but Musk has taken it to another level.
Observers think Musk has designs on a place in Trump’s cabinet. The former president, meanwhile, is keen to find a place for his biggest fan. A potential role as chief government auditor has been floated, which Musk has, unfunnily, labeled the Department of Government Efficiency – or DOGE, a reference to a well-known meme and, later, a cryptocurrency.
But what would that role actually entail? In this article, I’ll be poring over the evidence and piecing together what a Musk role in Trump’s government would look like.
The Trump/Musk Relationship
From fairly acrimonious beginnings, Trump and Musk’s relationship has undergone a sizable thaw. Trump has stated: “I respect Elon a lot. He respects me,” and “Elon more than almost anybody I know, he loves this country, he loves the concept of this country, but like me, he says this country is in big trouble,” as reported by BBC.
It is this apparently shared worldview which has carved out a Musk-shaped hole in Trump’s plans. In August, the two men took part in a calamitous webchat, during which the South African-born businessman called for a “government efficiency commission.” Said the billionaire: “I think we need…to say like ‘Hey, where are we spending money that’s sensible? Where is it not sensible?’ We need to live within our means.”
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Clearly, Trump liked the idea, telling the Economic Club of New York in September that he would create the commission, and Musk would be appointed to carry out a “complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government,” with “recommendations for drastic reforms.”
Elsewhere, Musk has moved to deny reports that he is being fitted up for a border security advisory role, despite advocating for tighter borders on several occasions. He recently told a crowd at Milken Institute: “I’m a big believer in immigration, but to have unvetted immigration at large scale is a recipe for disaster,” as per Los Angeles Times.
Efficiency Commission in Action
So, what would a government efficiency commission do?
During his remarks to the Economic Club of New York, Trump shed some light on what people could expect: “As the first order of business, this commission will develop an action plan to totally eliminate fraud and improper payments within six months. This will save trillions of dollars,” CNN reports.
You can’t fault the ambition – even if you can question the wisdom. Fraud costs the federal government up to $521 billion every year, totaling around $4,000 for every US citizen. With the rapid advancement of AI, this threat will only become more pronounced. Here, a Musk appointment makes some sense. His AI startup, xAI, could be tasked with navigating new cybersecurity challenges – and potentially saving the taxpayer millions.
Musk has also expressed an eagerness to cut government red tape. He is an outspoken critic of regulation, which he regards as an impediment to progress. Adopting what CNN has termed a “deploy-first-and-fix-it-later approach,” the billionaire has pushed self-driving technology to the top of Tesla’s agenda – in spite of multiple government warnings and high-profile accidents. SpaceX, meanwhile, has faced several lawsuits from unhappy California residents, where he tests his rockets, and the company is currently mired in legal proceedings against a state regulator.
Under Trump, it’s highly likely that Musk would slash federal spend by taking aim at governmental agencies that he regards as a surplus to requirements. That this represents a massive conflict of interest hasn’t escaped numerous journalists’ attention, but the pair have, as yet, failed to offer comment.
Free Speech Under the Spotlight
The elephant in the room is free speech. As a self-proclaimed champion of the 1st Amendment, and steward of the “global town square” that is X, Musk occupies a uniquely privileged position in US democracy.
This is another area where he and Trump share common ground. The tech mogul is currently engaged in a war of words with the British government, attacking what he perceives as “two-tier policing” in the aftermath of a series of riots which rocked parts of the UK and Ireland earlier this year. Trump, of course, is no stranger to the censorship debate. He brought class action, unsuccessfully, against the likes of Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube in 2021, having been blacklisted from the platforms in response to the January 6 Capitol riot.
If Trump retakes the Oval Office on 5 November, many fear that he will set out to punish his enemies. With Musk in his corner, he has ready access to a powerful tool to silence his critics – and circulate his own version of truth.
