Musk and Trump: Enemies to Lovers?

We’ve all heard of the typical enemies-to-lovers trope in our favorite books and movies. Perhaps it’s Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice that comes to mind, or Andie and Benjamin from How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days, or even Jake and Neytiri from Avatar, but none have had as profound an impact on our politics, society, and economy as the relationship between Elon Musk and Donald Trump. Their unlikely story, which embodies several elements of this trope, started out on the political stage with stark contradictions between their beliefs—Musk promoting clean energy and Trump dismissing those objectives as unnecessary, even destructive. Beginning in 2002, when Musk obtained his US citizenship, he voted almost exclusively for Democrats. At one point, he even endorsed Democrat Barack Obama. During that period of rocky feelings, Musk and Trump would often be found arguing like an old, married couple on Twitter (now X).

When Trump accused Musk of lying about who he voted for in 2022, Musk tweeted, “I don’t hate the man, but it’s time for Trump to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset,” later adding that “Trump would be 82 at end of term, which is too old to be chief executive of anything, let alone the United States of America.” From there, he proceeded to support Trump’s Republican competitor Ron DeSantis, much like how a teenage boy would try to make his crush jealous by flirting with another girl.

But, Musk remained true to his feelings and eventually returned his loyalties to Trump. Musk felt the Democratic party was getting much too feisty for his liking, believing that the far left was becoming too extreme. Trump’s assassination attempt could be seen as the tipping point for all the previous minor events, as Musk responded to the assassination with a post on X: “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery.” 

From there, the relationship practically erupted overnight into a bubbling romance. Not long after the assassination attempt, Musk openly announced his plan to support Trump’s presidential campaign by donating $45 million a month to a new super Political Action Committee (PAC), an organization that raises money privately to influence elections or legislation. Although he changed his mind rather quickly, telling a podcaster that he was instead going to give Trump money “at a much lower level,” even the possibility of an alliance between the two would be a major step in both American politics and their relationship. Despite being an avid donor to the Democratic party in the early 2000s, Musk has turned around and immersed himself fully in the Republican sphere. 

What is most surprising is the fact that Trump might be considering giving Musk a role in the White House. In an interview after a campaign event in Pennsylvania, Trump told Reuters that, if elected in November, he would be open to naming Musk as an advisor.

“He’s a very smart guy. I certainly would, if he would do it, I certainly would. He’s a brilliant guy,” he said. To this, Musk responded on X, “I am willing to serve,” with an edited image of himself behind a podium labeled “D.O.G.E. Department of Government Efficiency.”

It all seems very exciting, the possibility of these two controversial yet intriguing figures working together, hand in hand, but let’s keep it real. It won’t happen. 

There are numerous conflicts that Musk would have to battle through in order to secure his spot in the White House, some of which are worth neither his time nor effort. Musk is a multi-billionaire, with an estimated net worth of around $230 billion, coming mostly from his ownership of Tesla, SpaceX, and X. However, this poses a problem for him as certain government actions would have a major impact on his companies and personal finances. If he were to take the popular solution of divesting or selling his stocks, he would not only be surrendering his most successful accomplishments, but he would also be putting the price under massive pressure. He knows better than that. 

Even if he were to take the big stride in accepting Trump’s offer, there would still remain the obstacle of Senate approval. Although members of the Cabinet may be nominated by the president, it is the Senate that has the task of approving them, and the difficulties associated with that process have long been reflected throughout American history. In 2006, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, Henry Paulson, sold approximately $500 million of Goldman Sachs stock before being confirmed as George W. Bush’s Treasury Secretary. Furthermore, he promised to withdraw himself from any major government actions related to the institution or its executives. In Musk’s position, this would be a difficult vow to uphold given his influence and the range of his business interests.

Ultimately, Musk should and probably will continue focusing his attention on Tesla and SpaceX, his two precious sweethearts, over the uncertain promise of a Cabinet position in Trump’s administration. However, the growing intimacy between these two men cannot be denied, and their alliance with each other will have significant impacts on the dynamics of our politics and economy. At a recent Tesla annual meeting, Musk said that Trump is “a huge fan of the Cybertruck,” so I guess we won’t be surprised if Trump steps out of a Cybertruck at his next campaign event.

Bibliography

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