DONALD Trump has arrived in Brownsville, Texas, to watch one Elon Musk’s SpaceX test its Starship rocket as the pair’s bromance blooms.
Since Musk began camping out at Mar-a-Lago following the election, there has been discussion about whether Trump might tire of having him around and offering him advice on how to run America.
GettyPresident-elect Donald Trump greets Elon Musk as he arrives to attend a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket[/caption]
GettyThe pair embraced as they awaited the SpaceX launch on Tuesday[/caption]
AFPThe SpaceX Starship lifts off from Starbase near Boca Chica, Texas, on Tuesday, for the Starship Flight 6 test[/caption]
GettyElon Musk gives a tour to Trump and lawmakers of the control room before the launch[/caption]
But Tuesday’s outing has been a remarkable display of intimacy between the Tesla mogul and the Republican strongman – one with implications for American politics, the U.S. government, foreign policy and even the possibility of humans reaching Mars.
While en route to Texas, Trump posted on Truth Social, his social media website: “Good luck to Elon Musk and the Great Patriots involved in this incredible project!”
Musk spent around $200 million to help Trump beat Democrat Kamala Harris in the presidential race, and he’s been given unparalleled access.
He’s counselled Trump on nominees for the new administration, joined the president-elect’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and been tapped to co-chair an advisory panel on cutting the size of the federal bureaucracy.
As well as political influence, Musk could also have some personal benefits.
SpaceX, his rocket company, has billions of dollars in government contracts and the goal of eventually starting a colony on Mars.
He’s also CEO of Tesla, which manufactures electric vehicles, and has battled with regulators over safety concerns involving autonomous driving.
Trump has the biggest possible regard for people who break the rules and get away with it,” said William Galston, a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank.
“Musk has demonstrated extraordinary accomplishment in doing that.”
To top if off, Musk owns the social media company X, formally known as Twitter, which he has harnessed as an influential perch to promote Trump and his agenda.
“Stop the Swamp!,” he wrote on Tuesday as he shared a warning that entrenched Washington interests are trying to undermine Trump before his inauguration.
Before the election, Musk rejected the idea that he was expecting any favors in return for supporting Trump in the presidential race.
“There is no quid pro quo,” he posted on X in September.
With a Trump administration, we can execute major government reform, remove bureaucratic paperwork that is smothering the country and unlock a new age of prosperity.
However, Trump has not gone anywhere without Musk in the two weeks since beating Harris.
Musk joined Trump at a meeting with House Republicans in Washington and sat next to him at an Ultimate Fighting Championship match in New York.
The trip to Texas for the rocket launch will be Trump’s third time outside Florida since the election.
AlamyThe SpaceX Starship rocket stands on its pad in final preparation for its sixth flight test from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas[/caption]
AlamySmoke can be seen coming from the pad prior to the launch on Tuesday[/caption]
Much of Trump’s activity is happening with little public access for the press.
Unlike his predecessors, he has opted against regularly making his travel plans or events open to journalists.
The relationship between Trump and Musk was not always so close.
Two years ago, Trump was mocking Musk in stump speeches and Musk was saying it was time for Trump to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset.
Trump would be 82 at end of term, which is too old to be chief executive of anything, let alone the United States of America, Musk wrote on social media.
But Musk swiftly endorsed Trump after the former president survived an assassination attempt in July.
He quickly became a central figure in Trumps orbit, appearing at times more like his running mate than Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
Trump started boasting about Musk’s accomplishments at campaign rallies, such as when Starship’s reusable rocket booster returned to the launch tower and was caught by mechanical arms.
GettyTrump alongside Musk and Senate members including (L-R) Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN), and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
