Tesla Inc TSLA CEO Elon Musk has had a contentious relationship with President Joe Biden and the current White House administration.
While Biden has been pro-electric vehicle (EV), his strong pro-union policies have also angered Musk.
What Happened: Musk has not endorsed Donald Trump in the 2024 election, but has said that he is leaning away from Biden, the candidate he said he voted for in the 2020 presidential election.
If Trump wins the 2024 election, Musk could find himself in a new advisory role.
Musk and Trump have discussed the potential role in the event of Trump being re-elected to the presidency, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Along with potential influence on policies related to electric vehicles, Musk could also be used for input on border security, technology, science, space exploration, and the economy, according to the report.
The report said Musk developed a plan to prevent voter fraud alongside investor Nelson Peltz that was presented to Trump.
The two parties speak on the phone directly, according to the report. Previous reports linked Musk and Trump meeting in March, which Musk has since downplayed.
“I was at a breakfast at a friend’s place and Donald Trump came by, that’s it,” Musk told Don Lemon in an interview.
Musk said he can’t remember what the two discussed and that Trump “did most of the talking.”
The new report from the WSJ says Musk and Trump met in March at Peltz’s Florida estate, where the advisory role was discussed.
Why It’s Important: Trump and Musk have not always seen eye to eye on many items and frequently have traded insults at each other across social media.
Musk has also been critical of Truth Social, which is owned by Trump Media & Technology DJT. Trump tried to get Musk to acquire the social media platform previously, according to a past report from The Washington Post.
Trump has spoken out about electric vehicles in the past and recently reportedly tried to cozy up to big oil companies in a campaign donation plan that would role back several environmental policies.
Musk previously served on business advisory groups during Trump’s first presidential term. He later resigned in 2017 after a disagreement on Trump pulling the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord.
The Tesla CEO, who also owns the X social media platform, unbanned Trump from the platform, but Trump has only made one post since returning. Musk has said he wants to see Trump use X more, including the Spaces live audio feature for items like presidential debates.
While discussions on the role could fall apart and they center on Trump being elected, the fact that Musk is being considered could show how Musk and Trump rebuilt their relationship and could lead to Trump pushing for a public endorsement from the well-known and often followed billionaire.
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