Trump says talk that he has ceded US presidency to Elon Musk is a ‘hoax’
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US President-elect Donald Trump smiling during Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest on Dec 22.
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON - Donald Trump said on Dec 22 that he will be president of the US – not billionaire Elon Musk.
“No, he’s not taking the presidency,” Trump told a conservative audience in Phoenix, addressing growing complaints about the outsized role the Tesla boss has already had in his incoming administration.
“You know, they’re on a new kick,” he said. “All the different hoaxes. The new one is that President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon Musk. No, no, that’s not happening.”
That Trump would be compelled to address Mr Musk’s power is testimony to the unusual influence that the world’s richest man has displayed in a second Trump presidency that will not begin for another month.
Trump has tapped Mr Musk to head a cost-cutting and deregulation effort
The appointment has already brought complaints of conflicts of interest, as Mr Musk’s many businesses – including carmaker Tesla, tunnel-drilling Boring, rocket-launcher SpaceX and its sister satellite company Starlink – are regulated by the federal government and receive federal contracts.
Mr Musk also was an early and vocal opponent of a budget compromise in Congress last week, amplifying criticism of the Bill
The Bill failed and was replaced by a slimmed-down version
Trump has marvelled at the South Africa-born billionaire’s technological acumen, and credited Mr Musk with helping to win Pennsylvania.
Mr Musk contributed a total of US$238.5 million
“Isn’t it nice to have smart people we can rely on? Don’t we want that?” Trump asked a gathering of conservative youth group Turning Point USA.
“But no, he’s not going to be president, that I can tell you,” Trump said.
“And I’m safe. You know why? He can’t be. He wasn’t born in this country. Ha ha ha.” BLOOMBERG
