Musk Becomes Key Ally in Trump's Campaign

The world's richest man is none other than Elon Musk, the Tesla, SpaceX, and now X-formerly-known-as Twitter CEO, whose name popped up in support of President Donald Trump but also at the center of controversy of this presidential candidate. Such a relationship-the tech titan endorsing the previous president is something that makes people think and say whether it makes sense or not-in the real world, to be in an alliance.

Such a juxtaposition of philosophies between a staunch electric vehicle advocate like Musk and a climate change and environmental policy skeptic like Trump is rare. In his signature style, Trump has not hesitated to lavish praise on the technological achievements of Musk, especially in space exploration, where he regularly refers to the successful landing of Musk's Starship booster rocket. But Trump also jests at electric cars, which underpin Musk's businesses as a symbol of Biden-Harris climate change plans that are to be carried out through tax incentives on clean vehicles. The two seem to be more occupied by what they share-those traditions of bureaucratic breaks and less government spending-that distinguish them from each other on their policy preferences.

In a move that has seen him accept a tentative proposal to head the Department of Government Efficiency, a new agency the former president claims will significantly cut federal expenses, Musk has made such a bold move to fit Trump's vision. As head of the new agency, Musk promised to reduce the government's $6.5 trillion budget by $2 trillion. Though it has rallied the troops of his supporters, this promise brought the Democrats to their feet with rage against Musk as a stalking horse for the ultra-wealthy set to dominate the government. Fearing his policies cut down on social programs, devastating low-income and middle-class Americans, Democrats did not support Musk's position.

Central to Musk's political engagement is his platform: X, a powerful social media network he acquired in 2022 for some $45 billion. He has since rebranded himself as a free speech activist, reinstated Trump's account that had been suspended after the January 2021 Capitol riot for inciting violence and relaxed content moderation. The highly influential political news outlet has been widely regarded as a platform that facilitates the spread of misinformation and has faced criticism from its users who perceive it in that light. However, this popularity also means that X retains hosting accounts for Biden, Harris, as well as many other famous Democrats, who use it to contact constituents.

Musk's bets go way beyond social media. His bets in the U.S. government are diverse and numerous, such as his NASA contract through SpaceX to take astronauts back to the moon with the Artemis program. The value of these contracts deeply inroads him into the federal landscape and makes him more protected against challenges from Democrats in case they win the next election. In case Harris replaces Biden, experts claim that it would be a bit hard to reverse all Musk's government undertakings ranging from space research to climate projects.

He furthered that commitment to Trump's victory through his $200 million donation to a political action committee he founded, which happens to be called America PAC. Musk has used an existing legal loophole by allowing him to pour sizeable support towards Trump's campaign without ever actually tying the connection to the candidate himself. America PAC has also raised subsequent donations from high-ranking businessmen and is organizing house-to-house outreach, helping facilitate voter registration, as well as financing ads urging Americans to vote for Trump but against Harris.

He has taken the unconventional path of campaigning by rallying with a focus on advanced technologies, artificial intelligence, and politics. For swing states, including Pennsylvania, his rallies will attract the tech-savvy voter. He even led a lottery among the voters in those states with the prize of $1 million per day to any voter who endorses the pledge to uphold the Constitution. The tactic is ethically questionable and legally dubious to Democrats who claim that "this is totally inappropriate, said Biden. Legal actions have been made in the city of Philadelphia where there is already a local prosecutor who has filed a suit indicating that this lottery scheme implemented by Musk violates election integrity by providing incentive alignment with certain political aspects.

Musk's open support for Donald Trump is not only again putting under scrutiny his earlier immigration history. The latter recently cited Musk's status as an immigrant, claiming that the billionaire had started working in the U.S. while on a student visa—a charge that hits at Musk's entrepreneurial roots. Musk has denied this allegation, saying he switched to an H-1B visa after he founded his first software company, which eventually sold for $22 million and helped fund his subsequent ventures. This accusation fuels an already complex dynamic between Musk and Trump's administration, which advocates for strict immigration control.

Controversies surround Musk at home, while abroad, his interactions have raised red flags. For example, the Wall Street Journal reported that Musk continues to maintain communications with Russian President Vladimir Putin, to which many people condemned and even NASA. NASA has demanded an investigation into Musk's international relations because his companies hold sensitive government contracts across space, defense, and intelligence sectors. Even though Musk claims that his relationship with Putin poses no security risk, the fact that he is a government contractor has put him under greater scrutiny.

This was another incidence of regional backfire : the California Coastal Commission had recently denied a request made by SpaceX to launch rockets more frequently from one of its facilities. This motivated Musk to file a complaint against the state agency which he claimed was politically influenced. A conflict with a regulatory body in California in the matter therefore is identical for Musk and Trump about their shared ideology of laissez-faire capitalism-moderate governmental interference while leaving an opportunity to accumulate its benefits for private pursuits. Both have been criticized for alleged personal misconduct Musk, like Trump, has been accused of sexual harassment. Both are public figures known for brash behavior and occasional vulgarity, elements that only seem to intensify their appeal among their bases.