President-elect Donald Trump is setting the record straight: He’s the one calling the shots, not Elon Musk.
“No, he’s not going to be president, I can tell you that,” Trump said with a laugh at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in Phoenix on Sunday, his first major speech after the November election. “And I’m safe. Do you know why? I can’t be. He wasn’t born in this country.”
The president-elect made the tongue-in-cheek comment while praising South African-born Musk as a “great guy.” Musk, along with tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, will lead the Department of Government Efficiency, an agency aimed at reducing the size of government and cutting spending.
Trump’s comments came as Democrats have tried to use Musk, the world’s richest person, as a foil, accusing him of undermining the incoming president.
Just days earlier, Trump – along with Musk – intervened in House Republicans’ initial government spending package, creating chaos as Congress raced against the clock to prevent a government shutdown.
Some congressional Democrats have expressed concern about Musk’s influence over congressional Republicans and have mocked Trump by claiming that Musk is the one in charge. The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump group, posted a video calling Trump “vice president”to “President Musk.”
Republicans have tried to downplay any rift between the two, and Trump’s team dismissed those claims as “ridiculous.” Amid last week’s spending bill debacle, Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s next White House press secretary, said: “President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Final point.”
“All different hoaxes, and the new one is: ‘President Trump has handed over the presidency to Elon Musk,'” Trump told the crowd on Sunday. “No no. “That’s not happening.”
Musk has been flexing his political muscles in recent months, including investing more than $260 million in the 2024 elections in support of Republicans. Last week, he said he plans to fund moderate primary challengers to incumbent Democrats. Some Republicans have floated him as the next pick for House speaker in recent days, as Speaker Mike Johnson’s future appears shaky.
Musk’s comments came toward the end of Trump’s hour-long victory speech, in which he touted his victory in the popular vote, praised his “stellar” Cabinet picks and outlined goals for his next term.
Trump’s speech was similar to those he gave during the election campaign during the 2024 cycle. He made bold claims about reducing taxes, recovering the Panama Canal and promised not to change the name of military bases, a nod to his plans to put an end to “woke” ideology in the military.