After the Recent Event, What Are the Positions of Musk and Trump?
An insider associated with Trump remarked, “Elon knows a lot about launching rockets into space. But what does he know about the minutiae of political dealmaking?”
TroibNews 
As Elon Musk launched a series of X posts urging Republicans to distance themselves from a deal to prevent a government shutdown, Donald Trump remained conspicuously quiet.
Instead, the president-elect was in his office in a ballroom atop Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday. While Musk energized the MAGA base, Trump engaged in discussions with key aides, including Susie Wiles and Stephen Miller. Meanwhile, Vice President-elect JD Vance privately conveyed Trump's concerns regarding the bill being debated in Congress, according to two individuals who requested anonymity to speak candidly.
When Trump and Vance finally released a joint statement hours later, the proposed measure had already failed, putting Speaker Mike Johnson's future in jeopardy.
This episode highlighted the shifting relationship between Trump and his prominent supporter-turned-adviser, raising an awkward question about who was truly in charge. As GOP lawmakers on Thursday floated the idea of installing Musk as House speaker, and Democrats mocked Trump by asserting Musk was the genuine leader of the Republican Party, Trump conducted a series of interviews with the press to reinforce that it was his initiative to oppose the bipartisan funding bill.
In phone interviews with ABC, CBS, and NBC, Trump called for the elimination or extension of the debt ceiling and asserted that if the government were to shut down, “it'll be a Biden shutdown.”
Trump's aides maintained that Musk was acting under Trump's guidance.
“Musk is a pawn in Trump's chessboard, like everybody else,” remarked a person close to Trump, also granted anonymity to speak freely. The media “really wants to paint Elon as this independent character. If it were a chessboard, [Musk would] be a bishop.”
However, the fact that Trump’s spokesperson felt compelled to clarify who was leading the GOP indicated how blurred the roles had become, even among some Republicans and close Trump allies.
“As soon as President Trump released his official stance on the CR, Republicans on Capitol Hill echoed his point of view. President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop,” stated Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s incoming White House press secretary, in response to Democratic claims that Musk was truly in charge.
Musk’s involvement in the congressional situation raised questions about whether he was simply taking the initiative on cost-cutting as the head of the newly created Department of Governmental Efficiency with Trump’s endorsement — or acting independently.
Johnson told Fox News on Wednesday morning that he had spent the previous evening texting with Musk and his DOGE partner Vivek Ramaswamy regarding the proposed bill.
“Here's the question: Is Elon saying to the president, 'Hey, I'm going to do this'? And the president's like, 'Great, you be the fucking bad guy.' Or is he just doing this shit? And the president's like, 'Ah, fuck,'” said a close Trump associate.
“Elon knows a lot about launching rockets into space. But what does he know about the minutiae of political dealmaking, right? And what it takes to get through? It is very difficult to get things passed when you have [an eight-seat] majority.”
These slim margins left Johnson striving to assemble a stopgap bill that could garner support from both parties, even if it exceeded what Trump’s team had indicated the president-elect would endorse.
Despite any potential tensions between Trump and Musk, no hurt feelings were visible in the immediate aftermath. On Wednesday night, Musk joined Trump for dinner with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on the patio of Mar-a-Lago.
“The most influential person in the Republican Party is Donald Trump. But the second-most is Elon Musk. He has the attention of a lot of members,” noted a House Republican staffer who spoke with anonymity.
Much of Musk’s influence stems from his unique capacity to energize the GOP base on social media. A former Republican lawmaker emphasized that Musk's power is significant, suggesting that GOP members recognize his ability to incite online backlash and take seriously his threats to fund primary challenges against them.
“No one wants to cross him,” the former lawmaker observed, noting that it would be naive to expect any acts of bravery since many independent-minded lawmakers have already left.
Some conservative allies and Trump-affiliated Republicans, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, even suggested that Johnson should be succeeded by Musk.
“I’d be open to supporting @elonmusk for Speaker of the House,” Greene tweeted. “The establishment needs to be shattered just like it was yesterday.”
The tumultuous 24 hours — a preview of forthcoming negotiations on Capitol Hill — culminated in a GOP plan that both Trump and Musk supported.
“SUCCESS in Washington!” Trump proclaimed on X. “Speaker Mike Johnson and the House have come to a very good Deal for the American People.”
Musk shared Trump’s statement and later clarified that he was not involved in the deal's creation.
“I’m not the author of this proposal. Credit to @realDonaldTrump, @JDVance & @SpeakerJohnson,” Musk tweeted.
Eli Stokols and Betsy Woodruff Swan contributed to this report.
Allen M Lee for TROIB News
Instead, the president-elect was in his office in a ballroom atop Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday. While Musk energized the MAGA base, Trump engaged in discussions with key aides, including Susie Wiles and Stephen Miller. Meanwhile, Vice President-elect JD Vance privately conveyed Trump's concerns regarding the bill being debated in Congress, according to two individuals who requested anonymity to speak candidly.
When Trump and Vance finally released a joint statement hours later, the proposed measure had already failed, putting Speaker Mike Johnson's future in jeopardy.
This episode highlighted the shifting relationship between Trump and his prominent supporter-turned-adviser, raising an awkward question about who was truly in charge. As GOP lawmakers on Thursday floated the idea of installing Musk as House speaker, and Democrats mocked Trump by asserting Musk was the genuine leader of the Republican Party, Trump conducted a series of interviews with the press to reinforce that it was his initiative to oppose the bipartisan funding bill.
In phone interviews with ABC, CBS, and NBC, Trump called for the elimination or extension of the debt ceiling and asserted that if the government were to shut down, “it'll be a Biden shutdown.”
Trump's aides maintained that Musk was acting under Trump's guidance.
“Musk is a pawn in Trump's chessboard, like everybody else,” remarked a person close to Trump, also granted anonymity to speak freely. The media “really wants to paint Elon as this independent character. If it were a chessboard, [Musk would] be a bishop.”
However, the fact that Trump’s spokesperson felt compelled to clarify who was leading the GOP indicated how blurred the roles had become, even among some Republicans and close Trump allies.
“As soon as President Trump released his official stance on the CR, Republicans on Capitol Hill echoed his point of view. President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop,” stated Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s incoming White House press secretary, in response to Democratic claims that Musk was truly in charge.
Musk’s involvement in the congressional situation raised questions about whether he was simply taking the initiative on cost-cutting as the head of the newly created Department of Governmental Efficiency with Trump’s endorsement — or acting independently.
Johnson told Fox News on Wednesday morning that he had spent the previous evening texting with Musk and his DOGE partner Vivek Ramaswamy regarding the proposed bill.
“Here's the question: Is Elon saying to the president, 'Hey, I'm going to do this'? And the president's like, 'Great, you be the fucking bad guy.' Or is he just doing this shit? And the president's like, 'Ah, fuck,'” said a close Trump associate.
“Elon knows a lot about launching rockets into space. But what does he know about the minutiae of political dealmaking, right? And what it takes to get through? It is very difficult to get things passed when you have [an eight-seat] majority.”
These slim margins left Johnson striving to assemble a stopgap bill that could garner support from both parties, even if it exceeded what Trump’s team had indicated the president-elect would endorse.
Despite any potential tensions between Trump and Musk, no hurt feelings were visible in the immediate aftermath. On Wednesday night, Musk joined Trump for dinner with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on the patio of Mar-a-Lago.
“The most influential person in the Republican Party is Donald Trump. But the second-most is Elon Musk. He has the attention of a lot of members,” noted a House Republican staffer who spoke with anonymity.
Much of Musk’s influence stems from his unique capacity to energize the GOP base on social media. A former Republican lawmaker emphasized that Musk's power is significant, suggesting that GOP members recognize his ability to incite online backlash and take seriously his threats to fund primary challenges against them.
“No one wants to cross him,” the former lawmaker observed, noting that it would be naive to expect any acts of bravery since many independent-minded lawmakers have already left.
Some conservative allies and Trump-affiliated Republicans, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, even suggested that Johnson should be succeeded by Musk.
“I’d be open to supporting @elonmusk for Speaker of the House,” Greene tweeted. “The establishment needs to be shattered just like it was yesterday.”
The tumultuous 24 hours — a preview of forthcoming negotiations on Capitol Hill — culminated in a GOP plan that both Trump and Musk supported.
“SUCCESS in Washington!” Trump proclaimed on X. “Speaker Mike Johnson and the House have come to a very good Deal for the American People.”
Musk shared Trump’s statement and later clarified that he was not involved in the deal's creation.
“I’m not the author of this proposal. Credit to @realDonaldTrump, @JDVance & @SpeakerJohnson,” Musk tweeted.
Eli Stokols and Betsy Woodruff Swan contributed to this report.
Allen M Lee for TROIB News
