Donald Trump May Give Elon Musk Advisory Role If Elected President: Report

Former United States President Donald Trump is considering offering billionaire Elon Musk an advisory role in the White House if he is re-elected as the President after the 2024 election, as per a report in the Wall Street Journal.

According to the outlet, both billionaires have discussed a role that would allow the Tesla CEO to provide formal input and influence over border security and economic policies, areas on which he speaks widely on his social media platform X, (formerly Twitter). Notably, Mr Trump and Mr Musk's tense relationship has improved as they speak on the phone "several times a month." Mr Musk and billionaire investor Nelson Peltz have also discussed an initiative with Mr Trump to avoid voter fraud and to encourage elites not to support President Biden's re-election campaign.

Senior Trump adviser Brian Hughes told the New York Post, "President Trump will be the only voice of what role an individual plays in his presidency. But it has been widely reported and is demonstrated in a number of ways, that many of the nation's most important leaders in technology and innovation are concerned with the damage done to their industry by Biden's failures to handle our economy and his moves to overburden innovators with government bureaucracy and unrelenting regulation."

In recent years, Mr Musk has become vocal about political matters and has criticised several legislations, claiming that they are the product of the "woke mind virus." He has also been critical of the Biden administration's handling of border security, citing the record number of immigrants who have entered the United States illegally via the southern border in recent years.

Notably, Elon Musk met with Mr Trump in March in Palm Beach, Florida, along with unnamed wealthy Republican donors, the New York Times said. Although the subject of the meeting remained unclear, it was stated that the meeting happened as Mr Trump was looking for campaign contributors to run for the 2024 US Elections.

However, Mr Musk told the Washington Post that he had "never been to Mar-a-Lago," which is Mr Trump's estate in Palm Beach. Donald Trump, in an interview with CNBC, confirmed the meeting but said he doesn't know whether the billionaire would endorse him. "I don't know. I've been friendly with him over the years. I've helped him; when I was president I, helped him. I've liked him. We obviously have opposing views on a minor subject called electric cars," he said.

The second-richest man also wrote on his microblogging platform that he would not donate money to any candidate for the elections. "Just to be super clear, I am not donating money to either candidate for US President," Mr Musk wrote on March 6.