Maggie Haberman from The New York Times revealed on a recent podcast that President-elect Trump has expressed frustration about tech billionaire Elon Musk being frequently present. On Monday’s episode of the “On with Kara Swisher” podcast, Haberman noted, “Trump does complain a bit to people about how Musk is around a lot,” as reported by Mediaite.
She elaborated that Musk has been staying at a cottage at Mar-a-Lago, as shared in a recent report by Haberman, Jonathan Swan, and Ryan Mac. Musk has shown strong support for Trump throughout his presidential campaign, endorsing him after a July assassination attempt on the president-elect. He has also attended Trump rallies and established America PAC, a super PAC that supports Trump.
“Trump really parked himself in Musk’s face,” Haberman stated during the podcast, adding uncertainty about what their relationship will look like once Trump takes office.
In November, Trump announced that Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy would lead the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), an initiative designed to “slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures” and reorganize federal agencies.
According to Trump, DOGE will provide “advice and guidance from outside of government” while collaborating with the White House Office of Management and Budget. “It will potentially become ‘The Manhattan Project’ of our time,” Trump remarked, noting that Republican politicians have long aspired to the goals of DOGE.
Haberman expressed skepticism about the idea of Musk residing in the Lincoln Bedroom, stating, “I don’t believe Musk will move into the Lincoln Bedroom,” but added that he will likely seek to maintain close proximity to Trump as much as possible. The Hill has reached out to both Tesla and the Trump transition team for further comment.
