President-elect Donald Trump made it very clear on Sunday that Elon Musk, despite some talk in the media and in Washington, is not in charge of his second term. There had been rumors suggesting that Musk was calling the shots in Trump’s presidency, but Trump strongly rejected these ideas.
Trump was speaking at a Turning Points USA event in Phoenix, where he openly said that Musk’s rise to power has limits. He made it clear that Musk would not be taking over the presidency.
“No, he’s not taking the presidency,” Trump stated. He also took the opportunity to criticize the media for spreading rumors about a power struggle between him and Musk. He called these rumors fake and said that the media was just starting a new story. “They’re on a new kick. Russia, Russia, Russia… Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine… all these different hoaxes. And now the new one is that I gave the presidency to Elon Musk. No, that’s not happening,” Trump said.
This week, there was more talk about Musk’s influence when he became involved in important budget talks in Washington. Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), played a major role in stopping a deal that both Republicans and Democrats had agreed on to fund the government. Musk did this by posting a series of tweets on his social media platform, X, which sparked opposition and made the negotiations even more difficult.
As the negotiations got more tense, some Democrats jokingly called Musk “Mr. President” and suggested that he was actually running the country, not Trump. It was a sarcastic comment meant to poke fun at the idea that Musk had so much influence over the government.
Both Trump and Musk have denied these rumors, saying that it’s just Democrats trying to create trouble between them. But some Republicans also started referring to Musk in similar ways, even talking about him like he had power similar to a prime minister.
On a Sunday interview on Face the Nation, Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales from Texas mentioned that it “feels like Elon Musk is our prime minister,” suggesting that Musk has more control than he should.
But Trump quickly dismissed any idea that Musk would ever be president. “No, he’s not going to be president, that I can tell you,” Trump said firmly.
Trump also made a lighthearted joke about why Musk could never become president. He laughed and said, “You know why he can’t be? He wasn’t born in this country.” He went on to say, “But the fake news knows that,” pointing out that the media was aware of this but still chose to spread the rumors.
