Could Trump and Musk's cooperation stop? Analysis
After Elon Musk, adviser to US President Donald Trump, criticized the tariff policy, the press began to talk that the head of state would hurry to get rid of an unreliable ally. How long Musk will be able to keep his post, how he benefits Trump and what goals he pursues — in the Izvestia article.
The main irritant of the Democrats
The main dissatisfaction of the Democrats is caused by the activities of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), one of the heads of which is billionaire businessman Elon Musk. He works as a special federal employee, which means he has more freedom than an ordinary official and fewer obstacles on the way to DOGE's goal of reducing government spending. The idea itself has received widespread support in American society.
In the first months of its work, the Department of Efficiency was criticized by Democrats and their supporters for firing a large number of civil servants, reducing government organizations and foreign programs in the United States. Musk's team gained access to the documents of these programs and found out what the funds were being used for, which led to several public scandals.
Democrats in the House of Representatives intend to dismiss Musk from office by May 30, when his term of office expires — a contract for the position of a special federal employee can be concluded for no more than 130 days. They also insist that if Musk's contract is extended, he must sell his companies Tesla and SpaceX.
The success of DOGE's work is still questionable. The department is facing opposition in the courts, and promised savings of $2 trillion in government spending have been revised down several times due to inaccurate calculations. The Department has now managed to achieve cost reductions of $140 billion. In this case, the incentive payments promised by the government for taxpayers based on the results of state budget savings for the year will be reduced from $5,000 to $1,250.
Conflicts with the Trump team
In early March, at a cabinet meeting, Elon Musk criticized US Secretary of State Mark Rubio for not making cuts at the State Department. In response, Rubio recalled that in order to reduce the number of civil servants, 1.5 thousand State Department officials were sent on early retirement. Donald Trump stood up for Rubio, but at the same time supported Musk's initiatives.
In 2021, Elon Musk admitted that he was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. This is an autism spectrum disorder that makes it difficult for a person to communicate and understand other people's emotions. At the same time, such people may have developed speech and mental abilities. Another well—known personality with this syndrome is eco-activist Greta Thunbreg.
In April, Musk attacked Peter Navarro, the US president's trade adviser, calling him an idiot. Prior to that, the head of SpaceX appealed to Trump to reconsider import duties. Navarro then noted that Tesla electric vehicles are not manufactured in the United States: they are assembled at a factory in Texas from Chinese and Japanese components. It was this remark that provoked Musk to insult him. White House Speaker Caroline Leavitt then commented on the public dispute with the words "boys are boys."
Musk annoys Republicans: he is blamed for losing the election of a Supreme Court judge in the swing state of Wisconsin. During the election campaign, the Democrats tried to firmly link the Republican candidate with the eccentric multibillionaire, and this bore fruit. Despite the most expensive campaign in the history of the state and the high turnout, Liberal candidate Susan Crawford won. Her success has kept the Democrats in control of the court by a 4-3 margin, which could potentially change the balance of power in Congress: relying on a majority in the court, the Democrats can redistribute the boundaries of electoral districts in their favor and gain more seats in the House of Representatives.
Most likely, the information about the disagreements in the Trump team did not appear by chance. They could have been sanctioned by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, nicknamed the "ice maiden." An experienced political strategist, Wiles is annoyed by Musk's unconventional behavior, and therefore she could have leaked in order to increase public pressure on the businessman. But it is unlikely that scandals in the press will affect the relationship between Trump and Musk.
Musk's work benefits Trump
The US president does not rule out that Elon Musk may leave his post at the Department of Government Efficiency "when his incredible work at DOGE is completed." Indeed, in fact, Musk turned out to be the most effective member of the Trump team: the department, under his leadership, was able to disclose details of government funding for the media and the activities of the USAID government agency (we wrote about what USAID was doing here).
Although Musk is considered more progressive than the conservative Trump, they easily find common ground because they have common views and both have experience in managing large businesses. Musk, thanks to his perseverance and productivity, together with DOGE, opposes the American bureaucracy, which has become the main obstacle to the implementation of the reforms of the US president. Trump has repeatedly said that he is satisfied with the work of Elon Musk and wants to keep him in this position.
The election of a Supreme Court judge in Wisconsin has shown that the participation of Elon Musk can be a factor scaring off the electorate. At that time, the Democrats took advantage of the controversial reputation of the multibillionaire to win over voters to their side. But at the same time, this makes Musk a kind of "lightning rod" that takes on a barrage of criticism against the new US administration.
The chances of Musk's continued work
Now Trump is looking for a way to keep Musk in his existing position, analysts agree. Since he works on a pro bono basis, theoretically he can retain his position after the expiration of the established 130-day period. According to the ethics rules for special government employees, "unpaid activities limited to administrative matters" and telephone conversations with staff are not counted as days worked.
Musk may continue to work beyond the 130-day limit due to "unforeseen circumstances" or receive the post of presidential adviser and retain his nominal status in the White House. It is possible that Musk will return to business management, but will remain in the "inner circle" of the US president and will continue to influence his policies.
For Musk, working in the Trump team is important as an opportunity to influence US policy and change it in accordance with his views. According to experts, Musk was greatly influenced by the situation when he was forced to give permission for a sex change for his son Xavier. After this incident, Musk severed ties with the Democratic Party and became an ardent opponent of liberal ideology.
In 2020, Elon Musk's son Xavier changed his gender and became Vivian Jenna Wilson. He was 18 years old at the time of the sex change. According to Musk himself, he was forced to consent to his son receiving puberty blockers: doctors claimed that otherwise Xavier would commit suicide.
During the preparation of the material, Izvestia interviewed:
- Dmitry Drobnitsky, an American political scientist;
- Viktor Mizin, a political scientist and researcher at the IMEMO RAS Center for International Security.
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