The richest man in the world Elon Musk spent the evening of the elections in Florida with Donald Trump at his residence in Mar-A-Lago. Following Trump’s announcement of his victory in his speech at the conference center in Palm Beach, special attention was paid to SpaceX’s achievements.
Musk showed active support for the Republican candidate after the assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. The tech billionaire donated over $119 million to support the election campaign through Super PACs. In the weeks leading up to the elections, he also organized a campaign to attract voters in key states, offering daily million-dollar prizes. Despite legal challenges to this initiative, the courts allowed the drawings to continue.
The President-elect announced plans to bring Musk on board for the second term to work in the administration, focusing on optimizing government spending. Musk referred to this potential initiative as the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), named after the cryptocurrency he popularized.
SpaceX, owned by Musk, is already a leader in launching government satellites. The businessman criticized competitors like Boeing for the structure of state contracts that he believes do not incentivize timely project completion within budget. Additionally, SpaceX has begun developing spy satellites at a time when the US Pentagon and Intelligence Agencies are prepared to invest billions in this sector.
Tesla, the electric car manufacturer, could benefit from a regulatory burden promised by Trump. The company is currently under scrutiny by the US Road Safety Agency for its autopilot systems. Furthermore, the United Auto Workers Union (UAW) lodged complaints against Trump and Musk following their public discourse on the treatment of striking Tesla employees.
Trump also pledged to reduce taxes for corporations and wealthy individuals, a promise that Musk is likely hoping to see fulfilled.
*The social network mentioned is prohibited in the Russian Federation.