While President-elect Donald Trump chooses his Cabinet secretaries, speaks with foreign leaders and makes plans for when he takes office in January, the richest man in the world is often in the room, too.
Elon Musk — who is reportedly in direct contact with Russian leader Vladimir Putin — joined Trump on a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this month. He’s helping vet executive nominees. When Trump met with House Republicans this week, Musk tagged along, too. And he’ll soon co-lead a commission on government efficiency, a job he hopes to use to implement drastic reforms and spending cuts.
Conflicts of interest abound: Musk’s businesses receive government contracts, and his employees frequently interact with federal agencies as they try to comply with regulations and permitting processes. The Biden administration has treated Musk and his companies like a “nation state” given their sprawling government interests, as NOTUS reported.