All things considered, Elon Musk already has a prominent role in American politics. The controversial billionaire owns a prominent social-media platform, on which he often uses his account to promote conspiracy theories and far-right myths.
But what if the man MSNBC’s Chris Hayes once referred to as a “red-pilled billionaire going through a midlife crisis” were to make the transition from a conspiratorial political observer to an official political insider? The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk and Donald Trump have “discussed a possible advisory role” in the event that voters return the former president to the White House.
The role hasn’t been fully hammered out and might not happen, people familiar with the talks said, but the two men discussed ways to give Musk formal input and influence over policies related to border security and the economy, both issues on which Musk has grown more vocal.
The Journal’s report, which has not been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News, added that Musk — who used to vote Democratic before shifting to the conspiratorial right — has also partnered with billionaire investor Nelson Peltz “on a plan they have developed to invest in a data-driven project to prevent voter fraud.”
Trump, evidently, has been briefed on their plan to address the problem that doesn’t actually exist in any meaningful way in reality.
(Incidentally, the day after Jan. 6, Peltz called the insurrectionist violence a “disgrace” and said he was “sorry” to have voted for Trump. He’s since changed his mind again.)
“Peltz and Musk also told Trump of an influence campaign in elite circles that is already under way, in which Musk and his political allies host gatherings of powerful business leaders across the country to try to convince them not to support President Biden’s re-election campaign,” the Journal added.
It’s worth noting for context that Musk already played a brief and inconsequential role on a White House advisory board in the early months of Trump’s term, but he resigned when the then-president withdrew from the Paris climate accord.
Seven years later, the Republican apparently has something more meaningful in mind. “Trump has told Musk … he wants to find a way to get him more involved if he wins in November,” the Journal reported. As for why all of this might be happening, one can only speculate. It seems likely that Trump, desperate for cash, sees value in cozying up to one of the world’s wealthiest people, who also appears to share a similar worldview and an affection for fringe ideas. Musk, meanwhile, has plenty of private-sector interests, and it stands to reason that partnering with a man he expects to be president next year would advance those goals. None of this has escaped the attention of the Biden campaign, which issued a written statement in response to the Journal’s reporting. “Despite what Donald Trump thinks, America is not for sale to billionaires, oil and gas executives, or even Elon Musk,” the statement read. Trump is selling out America to pay his legal bills and put himself in power, while all billionaires like Elon see is a sucker. … Joe Biden has been standing up to people like Elon and fight for the middle class his entire career — and it’s why he’ll win in November.”
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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