Musk could get advisory role if Trump wins White House, WSJ reports

Elon Musk could get an advisory role in the White House if former President Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, wins the November general election, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

The Tesla CEO and the former president have discussed ways Musk could have “formal input” over policies related to the economy and border security, the Journal reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the talks. 

The outlet reported that Musk, owner of the social media platform X, along with billionaire investor Nelson Peltz, has briefed the former president about a plan to invest in a “data-driven” project to avert voter fraud, according to people familiar with the talks. Additionally, both Peltz and Musk told Trump about the ongoing influence campaign among elite circles that seeks to convince influential U.S. business leaders not to back President Biden, Trump’s chief 2024 election rival whom he lost to in 2020. 

Musk, who met with Trump back in March, talks with the former president several times a month, previously discussing technology, science and immigration, according to the Journal, citing people familiar with the matter. The Tesla CEO, who said he would not be donating money in the presidential race, wants to instead utilize his influence in various industries to help defeat Biden in November. 

A Trump campaign official told The Hill that the former president “will be the only voice of what role an individual plays in his presidency.” 

“But it has been widely reported, and is demonstrated in a number of ways, that many of the nation’s important leaders in technology and innovation are concerned with the damage done to their industry by Biden’s failure to handle our economy and his moves to overburden innovators with government bureaucracy and unrelenting regulation,” the campaign official added. 

Musk did not respond to the Journal’s request for comment. The Hill has reached out to X.

The Tesla CEO has not made an endorsement yet in the race, but the entrepreneur has shared his critiques of Biden regarding immigration, tariffs and some other areas in recent months.