Trump dismisses taunts that Elon Musk is the real power behind the US presidential election | Donald Trump News

American President Donald Trump has rejected the idea that he has “ceded the presidency” to billionaire Elon Musk, who has played a major role in the transition of the president-elect to the White House.

Trump made these comments during a speech in Arizona on Sunday, days after Tesla’s intervention with the owner of SpaceX and the president-elect to resolve the budget bill that was discussed in Congress.

The incident was the latest in which Musk has played a major role in the incoming Trump administration, drawing criticism from Democrats and within Trump’s Republican Party.

Addressing the criticism for the first time, Trump praised Musk, before adding: “And no, he’s not running for the presidency.”

Trump also called the proposal to “give the presidency to Elon Musk” another “hoax” perpetrated by his political opponents.

In recent comments, Trump noted that there is no risk of Musk officially taking over as president because he would be constitutionally barred from doing so.

“You know why he can’t [president]?” Trump asked the crowd in Arizona. “He was not born in this country.”

South African-born Musk – the world’s richest man according to Forbes Magazine – became one of Trump’s biggest supporters in the run-up to the election, endorsing the president-elect in July following an assassination attempt and dumping an estimated $200m in cash. Political Action Committee (PAC) supports Trump.

He has been appointed by Trump to lead the proposed Department of Government Operations (DOGE), which is tasked with taking a cutting edge approach to the federal government.

The so-called “department” is billed as an independent advisory panel, not an official government agency, and its mandate has not been defined.

Budget intervention

Trump’s comments come a day after outgoing US President Joe Biden signed a funding bill that avoids a government shutdown.

A previous bill negotiated by members of both parties in Congress was defeated days ago when Trump came out against it.

The president-elect’s main contention is that the bill did not raise the debt ceiling — a political battle Trump had hoped to avoid before taking office in January. The debt ceiling is the US borrowing limit, a limit set by Congress on how much the government can borrow to cover the gap between its revenues and expenditures.

Musk has also come out publicly against this agreement, which he criticized in a number of tweets on the social media platform X, which he also manages. He pledged to financially support the primary challenges to lawmakers who support the first law.

House Speaker Mike Johnson later told American media that he spoke by phone with Trump and Musk as the new bill was being discussed.

The final bill – which funds the US government at current rates until March 14 – removed several provisions opposed by Trump and Musk. However, the final version did not raise the debt ceiling amid opposition from a group of Republican lawmakers.

Speaking to CNN, Republican Representative Rich McCormick said Musk’s intervention shows “he has influence and will put pressure on us to do whatever he thinks is right for him.”

Some Republicans were more welcoming, with Representative Tony Gonzales telling CBS that “it feels like Elon Musk is our prime minister”.

Speaking on CNN, Senator Bill Hagerty praised Musk’s role in negotiating the bill, while pushing back against the idea that the billionaire was driving Trump’s decisions.

‘Very scary’

Despite the budget deal, Musk’s constant presence at Trump’s side before he takes office on January 20 has caused confusion among Democrats for weeks.

The billionaire was on the phone when Trump spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following his election victory. He has also attended recent meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni in New York.

The criticism was fueled by memes on social media showing Trump touching Musk in various situations.

After last week’s budget negotiations, several Democrats accused Musk of meddling to meet his demands.

They expressed his support for removing provisions from the original bill that would have limited his businesses’ operations in China.

“It is shocking that the House Republican leadership, at the urging of an unelected billionaire, rejected a bipartisan, bicameral funding agreement that included this important provision to protect American jobs and critical skills,” wrote Representative Rosa DeLauro in a letter to congressional leaders. on Friday.