For observers who wonder how Elon Musk has been able to maintain a near-constant presence around Donald Trump, The New York Times published a helpful report a couple of weeks ago. According to the article, after Election Day, the Republican megadonor started using a cottage at the Mar-a-Lago property near the main house where the president-elect resides.
The piece, which wasn’t independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News, added, “Staying right on the grounds has helped provide Mr. Musk with easy access to Mr. Trump.” It shed new light on a lingering question: How did the world’s wealthiest individual effectively become the president-elect’s shadow? By becoming Trump’s neighbor.
The Times’ report went on to note, “Mr. Musk is unlikely to have such unfettered physical access to Mr. Trump after the president-elect is sworn in on Jan. 20 in Washington. Coming and going in the West Wing is more onerous than at Mr. Trump’s private clubs, as is access to the White House residence.”
As regular readers might recall, I expressed some skepticism about this point, noting that the Eisenhower Executive Office Building — part of the White House complex and a one-minute walk from the West Wing — has quite a bit of space. It was easy to imagine the billionaire getting an office, ensuring that Musk would maintain his access.
It’s against this backdrop that the Times published a relevant follow-up report.
Elon Musk is expected to use office space in the White House complex as he launches the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which aims to slash government spending in the Trump administration, according to two people briefed on the plans. The space anticipated for Mr. Musk’s use is in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is adjacent to the White House.
The Times’ latest article, which has also not been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News, added that the location “would allow Mr. Musk, who owns companies with billions of dollars in contracts with the federal government, to continue to have significant access to President-elect Donald J. Trump when he takes office this month.”
I heard from a reader last week who suggested that Musk receives far more attention from political journalists than he deserves. If Musk hasn’t been elected to any office, the reader argued, and his “Department of Government Efficiency” isn’t an actual department with any meaningful powers, why bother covering political developments related to the billionaire?
The answer is that Trump has elevated Musk in such a way as to give the GOP megadonor real influence, deserved or not.
The president-elect met with foreign officials? There was Musk. The Republican dined with prominent business leaders? There was Musk. Incoming administration officials interviewed prospective job applicants? There was Musk. Trump enjoyed a social gathering at his glorified country club? There was Musk. Trump huddled privately with Republican members of Congress? There was Musk. This past weekend, Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee appeared on Fox News and responded to a question about federal aid for Los Angeles by saying he wanted Musk to “take a hard look” at how the government deployed resources in California. Now, if the Times’ report is accurate, Musk will even have office space in the White House complex. It’s not the press that’s elevating the billionaire; it’s his GOP partners. This post updates our related earlier coverage.
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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