Donald Trump made a back-handed joke about Elon Musk’sreported constant presence at a black-tie event at Mar-a-Lago to celebrate his election victory.
In his first major speech since winning the White House last week, Trump addressed the America First Policy Institute gala in Palm Beach, Florida on Thursday evening, and quipped the tech billionaire “just likes the place.”
“Elon, what a job, what a job he does,” Trump said, full of praise. “He’s great, he happens to be a really good guy. You know, he likes this place. I can’t get him out of here.”
Musk, who has been handed a role looking at government efficiencies for Trump, took the stage shortly after the President-elect.
“As President Trump said, what we need is common sense,” Musk told attendees. “This won’t be business as usual. This is going to be a revolution.”
Reports indicate Musk has spent "nearly every day" with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago Florida estate. He even joined Trump’s game of golf with his granddaughter, 17-year-old Kai. The billionaire has also sat in on calls with world leaders, including Trump’s discussion with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Musk was also a constant presence on the campaign trail. The billionaire founded the pro-Trump America PAC and even launched a daily lottery last month that awarded $1 million to people who sign a petition supporting First and Second Amendment rights.
Trump made virtually the exact same joke at a meeting of House Republicans on Wednesday: "Elon won’t go home. I can’t get rid of him, at least until I don’t like him.”
Veteran tech journalist Kara Swisher told CNN on Sunday morning 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.
Trump tapped Musk, alongside former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, to run the newly-created Department of Government Efficiency.
The new agency – which will operate “outside of government” – will advise on gutting federal departments and which staff should be fired if it deems they are a “massive waste.”
Trump vowed that Musk and Ramaswamy “will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.”
