Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX and CEO of Tesla, who recently had become the first person in history to reach a net worth of $400 billion, is now getting much closer to Donald Trump, quite literally, with a new report that the technology mogul is currently renting a cottage on the grounds of the president-elect's Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida.
According to The New York Times, Musk has been using one of the cottages available for rent on Trump's property at Mar-a-Lago, the former Marjorie Merriweather Post home in Florida that Trump converted into a members-only club and hotel in the 1990s, according to two people with knowledge of the arrangement. The cottage where he has been staying, named Banyan, is several hundred feet away from the main house, according to a person who knows the property.
According to a source who spoke to The New York Times, the Banyan used to charge at least $2,000 every night. However, since visitors are usually paid at the end of their stay, it is still unknown how much Musk would pay and whether Trump will reimburse him for all or part of his stay.
The news comes as Washington continues to worry over how much the SpaceX CEO influenced Trump after he attended staff meetings, spoke with foreign leaders, and obstructed a bipartisan budget bill in Congress.
As per NYT, Musk's employees from his various businesses have also been integrally involved in the transition, vetting prospective candidates for senior administration jobs in interviews at the Trump transition headquarters in West Palm Beach.
According to The Metro, Musk has been picked by Trump to co-lead the new Department of Government Efficiency. Musk has also been invited to join in on Trump's meetings and listened in on his meeting with foreign figures. The X owner has also been able to dip into some of Trump's dinners. Musk apparently left Mar-a-Lago around Christmas and is set to return any day.
