Elon Musk asserts that references to “President Musk” are part of a media plot aimed at creating division between him and Donald Trump, although he has not entirely dismissed this new title.
Discussion regarding Musk’s political sway intensified after he engaged in a series of posts on Wednesday, threatening GOP legislators with consequences if they didn’t reject a temporary budget he deemed overly extensive.
Hours later, Trump responded with similar threats, prompting some Democrats to accuse Musk, rather than the president-elect, of being the one “in charge.”
Musk labeled this as an orchestrated media and left-wing conspiracy on Friday.
“The political & legacy media puppet masters received their fresh directives yesterday and are now repeating the same narrative,” he stated on X.
Musk’s remarks followed a post that claimed Democrats aimed to “weaken Trump and Elon by instigating discord between them.” Musk concurred, stating that this was “precisely the intent.”
“They will not succeed,” he added.
While Trump has not specifically addressed the rising accusations that Musk is compromising his authority, his forthcoming press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, released a statement on Thursday asserting who truly holds the reins of power.
“As soon as President Trump announced his official position on the CR, Republicans in Congress reflected his viewpoint,” she said. “President Trump is the head of the Republican Party. Period.”
In a separate statement, a representative for the Trump transition team informed NBC News that Musk and Trump are “close friends” and “exceptional leaders” collaborating to make the nation prosperous again. The statement implied that Musk’s concerns regarding budget issues were simply part of his role as the head of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency.
“Musk exemplifies a rare breed of business leadership, and his insights and efficiency will undoubtedly enhance our federal operations,” the statement continued. “The transition team will guarantee that the Department of Government Efficiency and its associates comply with all legal standards pertaining to conflicts of interest.”
Musk has modestly downplayed his burgeoning influence among Republican circles. On Thursday, he redirected acknowledgment for a new budget proposal to Trump, J.D. Vance, and House Speaker Mike Johnson after someone had praised him for it.
“First off, I’m not the architect of this proposal,” he noted. “Kudos to @realDonaldTrump, @JDVance & @SpeakerJohnson. Also, this is a significantly improved bill that resembles a true continuing resolution (not an omnibus pretending to be a CR), but it still supports hurricane victims & farmers, as well as a reasonable debt ceiling extension.”
Democrats have pointed to Musk’s prominent position in relation to Trump as a target for their critiques.
Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) proclaimed that “the chief of the GOP is Elon Musk.”
Others have insinuated that Trump would not have disrupted Congress over the budget bill without Musk’s remarks.
“It’s not Donald Trump demanding this; it’s unmistakably President Elon Musk making this request,” remarked Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman on Wednesday. “The fact that Donald Trump has been virtually absent during these negotiations until Elon Musk publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with this budget agreement is telling—only then does Donald Trump, effectively serving as chief of staff to Elon Musk, appear and derail the deal.”
Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) mused whether Musk is “sort of pretending to be co-president,” adding, “I’m perplexed as to why Trump doesn’t simply give him the Oval Office.”
References to “President Musk” continued through Friday. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) even sent a letter to House leaders questioning whether the billionaire’s attempts to undermine the first bipartisan CR package were motivated by a desire to safeguard his personal interests, given that Musk reportedly holds over $15 billion in federal contracts.
A former U.S. intelligence official expressed concerns that Musk possesses too many conflicts of interest to be collaborating with Trump as closely as he has since Election Day, engaging in discussions with foreign leaders and directly influencing policy.
“I’m increasingly worried about potential conflicts of interest. Under typical circumstances, such behavior would be unacceptable, but now we find ourselves in an unusual regulation environment under Trump,” the official shared with NBC. “When Musk is one of the decision-makers regarding government efficiency and has the power to terminate thousands of employees, it raises significant government-related conflict issues.”
