Donald Trump and Elon Musk have reportedly been in contact for months about possibly placing the Tesla CEO in an advisory role if Trump wins re-election this fall. The Wall Street Journal spoke with multiple sources who corroborated the conversations between the SpaceX founder and former president, saying Musk now calls Trump directly from his cell phone several times a month. Although the talks are preliminary — and sources caution they could fall through — Trump has expressed interest in finding a way to make Musk more involved with policy, possibly involving border security or the economy, two issues Musk has spoken on publicly.
In turn, Musk would aid Trump’s re-election effort, not only by contributing to the Trump war chest, but by leveraging power and influence with other wealthy donors, though he has stopped short of committing to a public endorsement. The two first met up this year at a donor breakfast in early March hosted at Montsorrel, the Palm Beach, Florida, residence of fellow billionaire Nelson Peltz. The New York Times was the first to report on the meeting, noting that Trump was seeking a cash infusion.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the topic of Musk becoming a Trump adviser came up during the event, with one source likening it to former Marvel chairman Isaac Perlmutter’s advisory role within the Dept. of Veterans Affairs during the Trump administration. Following the Times’ report on the meet-up in March, Musk posted he was not donating to.