In contrast to conventional Washington energy gamers, Elon Musk doesn’t have a deep bench of coverage wonks, assume tank researchers or Hill veterans feeding him white papers to bone up on coverage — not not like President Donald Trump throughout his political debut.
From the corridors of the West Wing to the regular drum of right-wing voices on his X feed, Musk has assembled a makeshift mind belief of Silicon Valley loyalists, Trump world heavyweights and on-line ideological allies who’ve helped form his worldview.
His most trusted advisers stay a tight-knit group of executives who’ve adopted him from his corporations however lack political expertise, in line with two folks aware of Musk’s circles. Amongst them are Musk’s long-time pal Antonio Gracias, former Boring CEO Steve Davis and his spouse, Nicole Hollander, the previous head of actual property at X, and vice chairman of individuals operations at SpaceX, Brian Bjelde.
Among the many politicos, Musk is especially shut together with his high political advisor, Chris Younger, the previous GOP subject organizer who was initially introduced in to advise Musk throughout Trump’s marketing campaign and presently serves as treasurer of America PAC. Younger has changed into Musk’s proper hand on all issues Washington — from penetrating the Client Monetary Safety Bureau to dealing with private logistics.
Upon Musk’s request, Younger procured an enormous TV for Musk’s workplace within the Eisenhower Govt Workplace Constructing so he might play video video games, in line with an individual aware of the state of affairs granted anonymity to talk freely.
Musk can also be suggested by Katie Miller, who served in Trump’s first administration, and he maintains an in depth relationship with Generra Peck, Musk’s contact on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential marketing campaign. Peck, DeSantis’ former marketing campaign supervisor, ran America PAC final summer time and continues to supervise it.
Musk has had a non-traditional political schooling devoid of skilled bureaucrats or Washington insiders. However that advert hoc strategy, mixed with private circumstance and his expertise main Tesla by the Covid-pandemic, is what continues to tell the Musk we see at the moment.
“I believe he worries that meritocracy and western liberalism are beneath assault,” mentioned Ryan Girdusky, a pro-Trump conservative strategist. “He sees himself as a drive to reserve it, together with international locations all through the West, by supporting populist events. He finds himself involved that liberty and prosperity created within the West will die as start charges wither and wokeism turns into the state faith. But his enterprise and life experiences clearly battle with a few of these opinions and his political philosophy is clearly a shifting goal, however there’s one thing there.”
Relating to studying the world of politics, simply as Musk learns some other new area, he’s formed most by studying or having a direct dialog, mentioned an individual who has labored with him straight at certainly one of his corporations granted anonymity to debate him.
“He is extraordinarily skeptical of getting data from folks he believes have an ulterior motive,” this particular person advised West Wing Playbook. “So I’d usually be very reticent to attempt to kind of train him. It was virtually all the time higher for me to level him within the path of studying about one thing or speaking to kind of a major supply.”
Contained in the Trump White Home, Musk leaned on a few of the administration’s most ideological hardliners to rise up to hurry on how Washington works. Stephen Miller and Russell Vought, each long-time proponents of dismantling the executive state, helped transient Musk, the New York Times reported. Musk additionally spent a big period of time at Mar-a-Lago throughout the transition, collaborating in discussions about the way to assemble Trump’s Cupboard, and forging relationships with influential figures like Charlie Kirk.
Whereas Musk doesn’t have significantly shut private relationships with most White Home officers, he’s been constructing rapport by attending dinners with a few of the key gamers — typically bringing alongside his DOGE staffers.
He’s grow to be shut mates with Vice President JD Vance, who he pushed Trump to decide on as his working mate, in line with an individual aware of their relationship. There’s shut ideological alignment between the 2 on points together with rehiring a DOGE worker who resigned after racist feedback, questioning the judiciary’s authority to function a test on govt energy, and criticizing Romania’s choice to cancel its presidential election in December.
Maybe Musk’s most unconventional advisory board is his X feed, an internet ecosystem of Tesla followers and right-wing influencers and media voices, a few of whom have developed private relationships with Musk and have a direct affect on his decision-making.
One in all Musk’s closest ideological allies in that area is Ben Shapiro. The 2 share a mutual mistrust of presidency overreach and an affinity for tradition battle politics.
Just a few months after Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault, Musk traveled with Shapiro to the Auschwitz focus camp in Poland, as properly Israel, to review Jewish historical past and the Holocaust, an expertise he digested onstage with Shapiro.
“I have to admit to being considerably frankly naive to [antisemitism],” Musk mentioned on stage at a convention organized by the European Jewish Affiliation. “It’s like an absurdity not less than in my pal circle, however wanting on the pro-Hamas rallies in huge numbers that came about in virtually each main metropolis within the West blew my thoughts, together with on the elite faculty campuses which can be imagined to be enlightened.”
(Nonetheless, Musk on Inauguration Day made a hand gesture broadly interpreted as a Nazi salute. Musk has dismissed the connection.)
Coverage concepts from Musk’s X feed are making their method into the White Home, though it’s unsure but whether or not they’ll be adopted. Simply weeks in the past, anti-woke investor James Fishback posted an thought about DOGE issuing dividend checks — a plan to ship rebate a reimbursement to taxpayers from federal finances cuts. Musk noticed the put up, responded that he would “test with the president,” and inside days, the concept was being severely mentioned contained in the White Home.
“Just like the president, Elon Musk respects a powerful thought, regardless of the place it comes from,” mentioned Fishback, who lobbied Musk in particular person on the sidelines of CPAC. “Once we met, I reiterated the how and why of the DOGE Dividend. That’s the best way to pitch Elon.”
The dramatic shift in ideology for Musk, who used to fundraise for Barack Obama, started in earnest in 2020.
In the course of the pandemic, he railed towards Covid lockdowns, fueling a pivot that solely accelerated when his transgender daughter transitioned. Musk blames the “woke mind virus” for “killing” his little one, and has since turned cultural points right into a cornerstone of his political identification.
Musk’s evolution hasn’t been confined to American politics. He’s now boosting right-wing political actions in not less than 18 international locations, per NBC News, forming private connections with leaders like Argentina’s Javier Milei, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele.
For individuals who knew him in his earlier years as a Democratic-leaning donor, Musk’s political arc is jarring.
“Quick ahead to at the moment, the place Elon is mainly the de facto co-president, or actually the vice chairman, it is stunning to all of us,” mentioned an individual who has labored with him at certainly one of his corporations.
Like this content material? Take into account signing up for POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook: Remaking Authorities publication.
