Elon Musk is spending "nearly every day" with Donald Trump at his Florida estate and sitting in on calls with world leaders, according to reports.
Sources told CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins that the world's richest person has been constantly at the President-elect's side at Mar-a-Lago since the election, dining with him on the patio and joining him on the golf course.
"Musk has been in the room when world leaders called Trump, and tonight we've learned he's also weighing in on staffing decisions – making clear his preference for certain roles, even," Collins said on Sunday night.
"While Musk himself is still not expected to take any kind of formal position, given how complicated it would be with his companies, what's becoming clearer tonight is that he doesn't really need to – with one source telling me Elon Musk is having just as much influence from the outside."
In a separate CNN broadcast on Sunday morning, veteran tech journalist Kara Swisher said that Trump insiders were confused and unnerved by the extent of Musk's influence.
"He definitely inserts himself all the time; that's his style. That's why he's just suddenly shown up there like the guest that wouldn't leave," she said.
"I've heard from Trump people calling me saying 'oh wow, this is odd.' And I'm like yeah it is, you'll see much more of it.
"But he's not going anywhere until Trump throws him out. Which could happen, because they're both really strong personalities who like to be at the centre of attention."
Over the past year, Musk – who owns the social network X and is the head of multiple companies including Tesla and Space X – appears to have become one of Trump's closest allies, not only donating at least $132m to him and other Republicans but regularly appearing at rallies.
He has also appeared in multiple Trump family photos, standing alongside the Trump clan – excluding Trump’s wife Melania – in a post-election group picture as well as posing with Trump’s granddaughter Kai on the golf course on Sunday.
In her interview, Swisher said Trump was attracted to Musk's prodigious wealth and "nerd glamour", but has a history of falling out with even his most loyal associates, and "goes through people like tissues".
"He wants influence," Swisher said in reference to Musk. "And since he can't run for president, because he comes from South Africa, he's going to try to exert as much influence as possible in these first critical days to get what he wants.
"It's always about what Elon Musk wants, just remember that."
