Musk's position in the White House is shaking... Is the distance from Trump widening?
Elon Musk Whose Presence Diminished Within The White House (Source: EPA)
An Analysis Is Emerging That The Political Influence Of Elon Musk, Once Called A Close Associate Of President Donald Trump, Is Noticeably Weakening. Incidents Continue Where An Appointment Led By Musk Is Dismissed In Just three Days And He Is Excluded From Major Policy Decisions Within The White House.
On The 19th (Local Time), According To New York Times (NYT) And Other Foreign Media Such As Bloomberg, Treasury Secretary Scott Besent Appointed Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Phokender As Acting IRS Commissioner. This Position Was Previously Given To Gary Shapley Through The White House On The 15th, But The Appointment Was Overturned In Just three Days. NYT Reported That Secretary Besent Held Strong Discontent Towards Musk's Involvement In Personnel Matters And Persuaded President Trump To Reverse The Appointment.
Musk Publicly Opposed This. He Supported Right-wing Commentator Laura Loomer's Critique Of Secretary Besent By Commenting “This Is A Problem” And Even Shared The Post. Loomer Claimed Secretary Besent Was Collaborating With People Critical Of President Trump.
However, Frustrations Surrounding Musk Are Not Limited To This. The Government Efficiency Department's Federal Agency Spending Cut Plan Led By Musk Is Being Hindered By Lack Of Cooperation From Major Departments, And A Conservative Candidate He Supported In The Wisconsin Supreme Court Election Earlier This Month Lost. During That Time, The Blame For The Loss Was Focused On Musk, Increasing His Political Burden.
In The Defense Sector, Musk's Influence Was Also Limited. On The 21st Of Last Month, It Was Reported That His Plan To Visit The Department Of Defense To Be Briefed On Operation Plans During A War With China Was Canceled At The Last Minute By Order Of President Trump. In A Similar Context, He Publicly Clashed With President Trump's Advisor Peter Navarro Over Tariff Policies. Musk Criticized Navarro Publicly By Saying “Someone Who Has Never Produced Anything,” Yet President Trump Did Not Show Any Particular Response.
Another Sign Of Musk's Diminished Influence Was Evident In The White House Cabinet Meeting. In The First Meeting, Musk Had A Significant Presence, Even Given Solo Speaking Time, But In Recent Meetings, His Remarks Were Shortened, And Media Interviews Have Also Decreased. His Activity On The Platform X (Operated By Him) Sharply Dropped, With The Daily Average Post Count Of 107 In March Falling To 55 By April.
NYT Pointed Out That “During The Early Trump Administration, Musk's Influence Seemed Unlimited, But Recent Series Of Events Show That His Standing Is Shaking.”
Speculations Continue That His Relationship With President Trump Is Not As Before. Musk Recently Expressed Support For A Tariff-free Agreement With The European Union (EU) At An Event, Which Was Right After President Trump Announced A 20% Reciprocal Tariff On The EU. Regarding This, President Trump Instructed His Aides That Musk Needs To Be Managed, Reportedly Saying “Musk Eventually Needs To Return To Tesla And SpaceX.”
Nevertheless, Musk's Role Has Not Completely Ended. According To Foreign News, President Trump Still Appreciates That Musk Has Supported And Cooperated With Him Amid Political Pressure On Tesla, And Shows Warm Feelings In Private Settings. The Relationship As Political Partners Is Being Maintained, But Musk's Direct Influence Is Clearly Not What It Used To Be.