Wall Road Journal reporter Vivian Salama stated Elon Musk is “undoubtedly enjoying a dangerous sport” by getting forward of Donald Trump to tank a authorities funding invoice.
Democrats and different critics began calling Musk Trump’s “shadow president” on Wednesday after the billionaire Tesla CEO railed repeatedly towards the invoice in a social media spree, earlier than the president-elect in the end weighed in, seemingly delivering a deadly blow to the bipartisan deal negotiated by Home Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
“It’s extremely dangerous,” Salama, a nationwide politics reporter who lined the White Home throughout Trump’s first administration, stated of Musk’s maneuvering on CNN’s “OutFront” on Wednesday.
“And amazingly, his advisors have been remarkably silent on why it took Donald Trump, and even Vice President-elect JD Vance, so lengthy to weigh in on this challenge,” she continued. “Whereas Elon Musk … was tweeting all day lengthy about this, as was Vivek Ramaswamy.”
Musk reportedly spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars to assist elect Trump. The president-elect subsequently tapped Musk, together with entrepreneur and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, to steer a brand new non-government advisory group, the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE).
“It is extremely uncommon to see shut advisors to Donald Trump getting forward of him on essential points like this,” Salama stated.
She stated it wasn’t clear if Musk and Ramaswamy had coordinated upfront with Trump earlier than talking out so vocally towards the funding invoice.
“Advisers instructed us that they did type of obtain Trump’s blessing, that they had been on the identical web page, however they actually couldn’t give way more of an evidence as to why Elon Musk was simply type of going full-throated, you realize, rejection of the invoice so early on, with out us listening to from Trump,” she stated.
“And so he’s undoubtedly enjoying a dangerous sport. Donald Trump sometimes likes to type of be his personal spokesman,” she added. “We all know that. I occurred to cowl his first White Home, and so we noticed that play out.”
CNN’s Erin Burnett likened Musk’s scenario to “when Icarus flew too near the solar.”
Many have speculated that Musk is hogging the highlight in a approach that’s positive to annoy Trump, and that’s already reportedly rankling some of Trump’s advisers.
