Special Poll
President-elect Trump addressed recent remarks from Democratic leaders referring to Elon Musk as “President Musk,” firmly rejecting the label. Speaking at the conservative group Turning Point’s “America Fest” in Phoenix, Arizona, Trump quipped, “No, he’s not going to be president, that I can tell you. And I’m safe, you know why? He wasn’t born in this country.”
Democrats have recently suggested that Musk, the tech billionaire and owner of the social platform X, is the “real leader” of the Republican Party due to his vocal opposition to a stopgap spending measure. Over the past week, Musk took to his platform to criticize the measure, aligning with Trump’s own disapproval of the deal, which had been negotiated by House Speaker Mike Johnson, a key Trump ally. Musk wrote, “Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!”
During the event, Trump praised Musk for his efforts during the 2020 election, saying, “He went to Pennsylvania, stayed there for a month, and helped us win that state, which we won by a lot. So, he was really good.”
Trump also highlighted Musk’s role in a future initiative. He previously announced that both Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy would lead the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) panel. This team, designed to operate alongside the White House Office of Management and Budget, is tasked with cutting unnecessary regulations, reducing wasteful spending, and restructuring federal agencies. Trump referred to it as potentially being “The Manhattan Project of our time,” emphasizing its ambitious goals.
According to Trump, Republican leaders have long envisioned such reforms, and the DOGE initiative could finally make those dreams a reality.