Elon Musk has been President-elect Donald Trump‘s regular companion when he meets with foreign leaders. He has been a continuous presence at Mar-a-Lago since November and even accompanied Trump to Paris on his first international trip after winning the election.
Because of his close relationship with the incoming president, Musk has had invaluable access to heads of state, such as French President Emmanuel Macron at the reopening of Notre Dame and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in New York, who in introductory remarks at a black-tie event called her a “precious genius” and “even more beautiful on the inside than she is on the outside.”
More significantly, Musk participated in Trump’s crucial initial contact with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following the election.
According to Washington insiders, Musk’s meetings with world leaders alongside Trump are causing concerns about the tech leader’s possible impact on U.S. foreign policy in the upcoming four years as well as the possibility of conflicts of interest. Musk has publicly backed far-right political organizations globally and has substantial global investments, particularly in China, America’s most potent enemy.
A former national security officer in the Cabinet of President Barack Obama stated, “It’s on a level that is so foreign to me I can’t get my head around it.” “It’s impossible to know what ethical transgressions are occurring when attending these meetings with Trump or by yourself.”
“Elon Musk and President Trump are great friends and brilliant leaders working together to Make America Great Again,” stated Brian Hughes, a spokesman for the Trump-Vance Transition. Elon Musk is a once-in-a-lifetime businessman whose ideas and efficiency will undoubtedly improve our federal system. The transition team will make sure that the Department of Government Efficiency and all of its employees adhere to all applicable laws regarding conflicts of interest.
Musk has over $15 billion in federal contracts — largely through his SpaceX rocket company that NASA has grown to rely on for portions of its rocket program. The Pentagon depends on Musk for SpaceX’s Starlink satellite services, which are crucial for U.S. military activities throughout the world.
According to stories in The Wall Street Journal and other newspapers, he has interacted behind the scenes with leaders that many view as U.S. enemies, like as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump has visited China at least eight times since 2014, meeting with high-ranking Chinese officials each time. According to the Wall Street Journal, Chinese Premier Li Qiang reportedly offered him a Chinese green card at one encounter. When Xi traveled to the United States for a day-long summit in 2023, Musk had a direct meeting with him at a private dinner in San Francisco.
Nearly half of all EV sales in the United States are of Musk’s Tesla models, which are mostly produced in China, where the company established one of its biggest plants, the Gigafactory Shanghai.
“I’m more concerned about conflicts of interest,” a former U.S. intelligence official told NBC News when asked about Musk’s impact on foreign policy. That wouldn’t be allowed in any other situation, but when it comes to Trump, the rules are different. Some people are particularly concerned about Musk’s potential involvement in suggesting drastic cuts to federal employment. “He has all these government conflicts when he’s one of the arbiters of government efficiency, and how many thousands of people he can fire,” the former intelligence officer continued.
Over 17 U.S. government entities are involved in Musk’s federal contracts. According to unnamed sources cited in The New York Times this week, the Pentagon is investigating whether Musk complies with disclosure requirements for his top-secret security clearance, which require him to disclose encounters with foreign officials.
The outgoing Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman, retiring Democratic Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland, told NBC News, “I think he has incredible conflicts.” He also said that his affiliation with the president-elect has already benefited him in terms of his personal holdings.
“I don’t want a transactional person who’s going into a country to see if he can make a deal,” Cardin said in response to a question about whether he believes Musk’s contacts with foreign leaders cause issues because of his businesses in China and other nations.
When asked if Musk had influenced Trump’s foreign policy, Secretary of State Antony Blinken responded to NBC News by saying, “We have one president at a time.” President Biden is that president.
Blinken swiftly added praise for his likely replacement, veteran Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, and Republican Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida, whom Trump has named as his incoming national security adviser. It was clear that he was anxious to ease any tensions in the transition.
“On one level, it’s quite normal for them to have conversations and communications, and in some ways, it’s helpful to us, because we want to make sure that, as I mentioned, we are handing over the baton in a way that the next administration can come in and be running at full speed,” Blinken stated. “We’re in close communication with the incoming administration.”
His response to the query on Musk’s unofficial role was evasive.
Musk has previously indicated an interest in changing the course of international affairs, which may have an impact on his interactions with world leaders.
Musk and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have been at odds for months. Musk has called Britain a “tyrannical police state,” supported calls for a fresh election, and promoted a video from a far-right activist who is currently in jail. After days of far-right violence, Musk inflamed emotions there in August by claiming the nation was on the brink of civil war.
Throughout his career, Musk has backed far-right movements, first in Italy and most recently in Germany, where he said on Friday that he supported the AfD party, which he said may “save Germany.”
Consternation and enthusiasm over Musk’s possible impact under Trump have escalated in recent days when Musk started a campaign that swiftly derailed funding legislation backed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
Many critics have expressed fears that Musk might be serving as Trump’s “shadow president” or “co-president,” while some Republicans have praised Musk’s successful attempt to step in and suggested he should be appointed speaker of the House.