Trump eyes Elon Musk for major role in next administration

Former U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that if he wins the presidential election in November, he might assign Elon Musk a key role in his administration. In an interview with Reuters, Trump emphasized that Musk is a "very smart guy" and that he would be happy to see him in an important advisory position or even in his cabinet.

Trump, the Republican Party's presidential candidate, expressed his admiration for Musk, calling him a "genius." "If he would be willing to do it, I would certainly choose him," said Trump, answering a question about potentially appointing Musk to his cabinet.

A few hours after Trump's statement, Elon Musk posted on his social media a graphic created by artificial intelligence depicting him standing on a podium with American flags in the background. The image was captioned "I am willing to serve," which seems to be a response to Trump's proposal.

Musk, who has expressed increasingly conservative views recently, officially endorsed Trump last month. Additionally, he recently interviewed Trump on his social media platform X, fueling speculation about their possible collaboration in the future.

One of the topics that could affect the collaboration between Trump and Musk is the former president's stance on policies supporting electric cars. Trump expressed doubts about the validity of tax credits for purchasing electric cars, which current President Joe Biden has expanded. Trump stated that "tax credits and incentives are generally not a good thing" and stressed that he did not intend to make final decisions on the matter. He noted that "you cannot mandate just buying electric cars."

It is worth noting that in 2019, during his presidency, Trump attempted to repeal tax credits for purchasing electric vehicles, which was met with significant criticism. However, in light of potential collaboration with Musk, who is a pioneer in this industry, his stance could be crucial for the future of this sector.