Former President Donald Trump said that Tesla CEO Elon Musk is unlikely to serve in his cabinet should he win a second White House term because of his extensive business obligations which include running several companies.
“He wants to be involved. Now look, he’s running big businesses and all that, so he can’t, really, I don’t think he could be cabinet,” Trump said of Musk during an interview with former Navy Seal Shawn Ryan, an excerpt of which was released on Sunday.
“I’d put him in the cabinet, absolutely, but I don’t know how he could do that with all the things he’s got going.”
Trump said that Musk could “consult” with his administration on issues such as artificial intelligence.
Musk, who also owns the social media platform X, has thrown his support behind Trump this election despite having voted for President Biden in 2020, Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Barack Obama in 2012.
Shortly after Trump survived an assassination attempt on July 13, Musk announced he would be endorsing him.
Musk praised Trump for pumping his fist and urging his supporters to “fight, fight” as blood was streaming down his face and he was being hauled away by Secret Service agents.
The tech mogul has endorsed Trump due to shared concerns over the rise in illegal immigration.
Earlier this year, Musk also helped form a pro-Trump super PAC. He has even talked about the idea of helping Trump form a “government efficiency commission.”
In his comments to Ryan, Trump said that he and Musk “have a great relationship” and that “he’s great.”
“He’s a totally unusual character…But he is a brilliant guy.”
Musk and other tech figures in Silicon Valley have also been disillusioned by the Biden administration’s more stringent policies as they relate to regulating businesses.
On X, Musk has been more vocal about his right-leaning preferences on issues such as transgender policies.
Last month, Musk announced that his rocket-building company, SpaceX, would relocate its headquarters from its current home in California to Texas in protest of a new state law that bans school districts from requiring that parents be notified if their child transitions to another gender.
Musk’s social media company, formerly known as Twitter, also said goodbye to San Francisco. Like SpaceX, X is also shifting its headquarters to Texas.
During the pandemic, Musk was harshly critical of California regulators and Democratic politicians who forced businesses to shutter in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Musk was so incensed by lockdowns that he moved Tesla headquarters from the San Francisco Bay Area to its current home in Austin, Texas.
Since taking over X, Musk has lifted the ban on Trump and scores of other right-leaning accounts that were taken down by Twitter’s previous management.
Over the weekend, Trump supporters were enthused after the former president began posting on X — something he had not done regularly since founding his own social media platform Truth Social.
Trump hit out at “Comrade Kamala” Harris and running mate “Tampon Tim” Walz, accusing them of risking “World War III” as “bombs are dropping all over the place!”
In another post on X, Trump wrote: “Kamala and her ‘handlers’ are trying to make it sound like I am the Incumbent President, so that they can blame me for the failure of the past four years. No, it was their failure! It is one of the worst Presidencies in History, and she is definitely the Worst Vice President.”
Earlier this month, Trump gave a lengthy interview on X Spaces to Musk during which they discussed several key issues heading into the election, including the border and inflation.
