President-elect Donald Trump returned to Washington on Wednesday with his prominent backer, Elon Musk, where he joked that he “can’t get rid” of the tech billionaire.
During a House Republican Conference meeting, Trump shared his thoughts on Musk’s ongoing presence, humorously telling GOP lawmakers, “Elon won’t go home. I can’t get rid of him. Until I don’t like him.”
Musk, who was seated front and center at the Capitol Hill gathering, received a shoutout from Trump, which earned him a standing ovation from the crowd. Trump remarked, “Elon has been so great,” pointing directly at the Tesla and SpaceX CEO.
Musk responded by turning to wave at the cheering Republican leaders, who applauded and some even cheered.
Since Trump’s re-election, Musk has been a regular at Mar-a-Lago, often seen alongside Trump during post-election celebrations with campaign officials.
Trump’s granddaughter even referred to the tech mogul as “uncle” in a recent social media post, and Musk has been spotted both at Trump’s Florida residence and on the golf course with the president-elect.
In a significant development, Trump announced on Tuesday that Musk will co-lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency with former GOP primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
According to Trump, the department will “pave the way for [his] administration to dismantle government bureaucracy” and could become “potentially, ‘The Manhattan Project’ of our time.”
Musk later shared his thoughts on social media, tweeting, “We finally have a mandate to delete the mountain of choking regulations that do not serve the greater good.”
However, the new initiative has also faced criticism. Public Citizen, a nonprofit watchdog, has raised concerns over Musk’s influence in the government. Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, commented, “This is the ultimate corporate corruption. Musk not only knows nothing about government efficiency and regulation, his own businesses have regularly run afoul of the very rules he will be in a position to attack in his new ‘czar’ position.”
She added, “If anyone had any doubts whether the Trump government aims to serve regular people or the billionaires, they should now be resolved.”
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