What’s Behind Elon Musk’s Bromance with Donald Trump

Will Elon Musk play the spoiler role in the 2024 presidential election?Credit…Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

Trump and Musk’s growing courtship

For much of President Biden’s time in the White House, his relations with Elon Musk have been tense. They may be about to plunge to a new low after Biden’s re-election campaign hit out at reportsthat Donald Trump could make Musk an adviser if the Republican were to win in November.

The president’s campaign sees mileage in targeting Trump’s ties to moguls. “Despite what Donald Trump thinks, America is not for sale to billionaires, oil and gas executives, or even Elon Musk,” James Singer, a spokesman for the campaign, told DealBook, in its first comments on Musk.

What we know about the Musk and Trump’s warming ties, according to The Wall Street Journal:

• The two talk often: Musk and Trump speak on the phone several times a month.

• The relationship is about influence rather than money: Musk doesn’t simply want to write a check for Trump’s campaign; he’s offered to use his sway with business leaders to help fight Biden’s re-election bid. Musk co-hosted a dinner at the Los Angeles home of the investor David Sacks last month that included Peter Thiel, Steven Mnuchin and Rupert Murdoch.

• Nelson Peltz has played a central role. Musk and Trump met in March at the billionaire investor’s Palm Beach, Fla., estate, where the advisory role discussions took place. Peltz and Musk have also briefed Trump on a plan to invest in a project to prevent the possibility of voter fraud.

Musk hasn’t commented on The Journal report. In an interview earlier this year with Don Lemon, he downplayed the meeting. “Let’s just say he did most of the talking,” he said.

Musk voted for Biden in 2020 but has turned to the right. He has increasingly used X, his social media platform, to berate the president on migration and health care policies, and has criticized diversity, equity and inclusion programs that the political left has embraced. Musk was also miffed that the White House didn’t invite Tesla to an electric vehicle event in 2021.

Biden has seemingly been keen to fuel the feud. The president has had a habit of dismissing Musk’s views, a tactic that could backfire. As Andrew has pointed out, whether you like him or not, Musk is a natural ally on issues like tackling climate change. The Biden campaign’s latest comments suggest that it sees political mileages in distancing itself from the billionaire class (its pitching hard for working-class votes in battleground states.)

For Trump, Musk’s backing would be the latest billionaire to come to his side. Musk has indicated that he’s not ready to endorse a candidate and has said he