Elon Musk Is Joining Trump’s Talks With World Leaders
Now that Donald Trump has won the White House, the American oligarchs who helped facilitate his return to power are waiting with open hands for payoff. Elon Musk is already getting his.
The billionaire owner of Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly Twitter) poured millions into Trump’s reelection effort, campaigned on his behalf, and can barely contain his glee upon victory. Musk, whose companies operate largely off of billion-dollar government contracts and partnerships, is not only expecting an astronomical financial windfall under the pro-corporate policies of a second Trump administration, but a government position directly shaping the reforms planned by the president-elect.
Trump has publicly touted plans to appoint Musk the head of a “government efficiency commission” tasked with slashing wasteful spending, but Musk’s role may extend far beyond the fiscal budget.
According to a Friday report from Axios, Musk sat in on a Wednesday phone call between Trump and Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The president-elect has made a dubious promise that he can end the war between Russia and Ukraine in a day, and has decried the continued provision of funds and aid to Ukraine’s military operations by the U.S.
Musk is also involved in the war effort through the provision of Starlink communication terminals to the Ukrainian army. The billionaire drew criticism for placing geo-fencing restrictions on the terminal’s use outside of Ukraine’s borders — meaning they cannot be accessed by the Ukrainian military while operating in Russian territory — and for reportedly engaging in direct discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pentagon officials raised concerns that Musk was acting not as a military contractor, but as a rogue actor who could influence the war effort on a whim.
In October of last year, Musk openly mocked Zelensky and the Ukrainian government’s request for aid in a post on X. In 2022, Musk proposed a “peace plan” that suggested simply handing over the Crimea Peninsula to Russia, referendums to decide if the regions invaded by Russia should be annexed by the occupying power, and having Ukraine remain a neutral country outside of the NATO alliance. Zelensky was incensed, while Kremlin officials lauded Musk’s plan as a “peaceful settlement” to the conflict they began.
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According to Axios, Musk reassured Zelensky during his call with Trump on Wednesday that he would continue providing Starlink access to the Ukrainian military. Sources told the outlet that concrete plans for bringing about an end to the war were not discussed. Musk was also involved in a phone call between Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, during which the three men made ambiguous future dinner plans. Musk and Trump are also expected to hold a joint meeting with Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei sometime next week.
Musk has essentially bought himself an influential, unofficial position in a second Trump administration, and while some of his role figures to take place under the umbrella of official government policy, he may have an even bigger impact in the shadows, sitting in on private phone calls and meetings and bending Trump’s ear on key policy decisions.