In an interview with Greg Kelly on Newsmax’s show on Tuesday evening, President Donald Trump had some kind words for Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. Donald Trump even went so far as to say that Tesla CEO Elon Musk has “plenty of right” to ask him for special help, which got people talking.
But Trump mentioned that, even though Musk could ask for favors, he hasn’t actually done so: “He’s a wonderful patriot; he loves the country. But he’s never asked me—think of this, and he’s got plenty of right to I guess, doesn’t mean I’m gonna do it, I probably won’t—but he’s never asked me for a favor.”
This conversation came up because Musk’s influence is growing like a giant shadow over Trump’s old stomping grounds, with him now in charge of a new group called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Musk’s DOGE initiative aimed to make government work better, which Trump talked about as a way to tackle waste and cheating in the government. Trump said, “We are finding hundreds of billions of dollars in fraud.” But no one outside the government has confirmed this yet.
Musk, who likes the idea of free business and getting things done efficiently, is all for DOGE. Some people think this gives him a lot of say in how the government makes decisions that can affect his companies.
🚨NEW: The Austin Airport had to temporarily ground flights this morning due to lack of FAA staffing. The cuts made by DOGE are literally shutting down airports.
RETWEET to let America know what Elon Musk is doing to our airports! pic.twitter.com/e3d82zJaqH
— Protect Kamala Harris ✊ (@DisavowTrump20) March 21, 2025
Trump said Musk hasn’t asked for any special favors, but some things the government did recently seem to help businesses like Musk’s. For example, they changed a rule about electric cars and EVs that helps companies compete with Tesla more than Tesla itself.
“He never came to me and said, ‘Could you do me a favor? Don’t do that?’ You know, he’s a legitimate guy, and he’s doing this because it’s for the good of the country,” Donald Trump asserted.
Still, others think Tesla and Musk’s other businesses might benefit from other government deals and special treatment, especially in areas like aerospace and AI sectors.
Trump’s remarks faced strong criticism, especially from Representative Maxine Waters, a Democrat from California. She accused Musk of having too much sway over government decisions.
Over the weekend, at a gathering in Los Angeles, Waters slammed both Trump and Musk for their involvement in altering government policies. She even went so far as to call Musk “Trump’s co-president.” She declared, “We’re not going to let Elon Musk, his co-president, or anybody else take the United States Constitution down,” as reported by Page Six.
Besides, she suggested that the same strict immigration rules that Trump wants to enforce on birthright citizenship should be applied to his wife, Melania Trump. But, her statement was based on incorrect information regarding Melania’s immigration situation.
Melania became a U.S. citizen in 2006, one year after being married to Donald. She received U.S. citizenship on a visa that is allocated to immigrants with “extraordinary ability” and “sustained national and international acclaim.”… And she was good in what? pic.twitter.com/xcZpoqFL18
— Mynameis…Miro (@zg4ever) January 26, 2024
Trump’s close friendship with Musk suggests a growing bond between business-friendly conservative policies and the most influential entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. As we look at the political scene in 2025, people will keep arguing about how much say Musk has in the government, especially since Trump is all about cutting rules and putting America first in the economy.
While it’s not clear if Elon Musk will personally benefit from Donald Trump’s decisions or just keep a safe distance, one thing is for sure – the discussion about his power in politics isn’t going away anytime soon.
