Elon Musk is the X-Factor in the new Trump administration | Donald Trump

Billionaire Elon Musk dedicated a considerable personal time and at least $ 260 million At Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

This huge investment paid for Trump, which is now back to the White House. And he paid for Musk, who bought a place to choose the new table of the president – he literally dinner with Trump's family on Thanksgiving.

Musk also received a potentially powerful role as head of the Ministry of Government Efficiency, a hazy non -governmental entity accused of auditing the entire federal government. And as Trump began to confirm his foreign policy in his early days back to office, Musk made a key presence at AD HOC diplomacy of Trump.

Musk joined Trump of a call of Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski and in the re -opening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Musk's growing role as an advisor and perhaps more on foreign policy issues presents one of the biggest wild cards for the new Trump administration. If Musk remains as influential in the Trump administration as it was during the campaign and transitional periods, we are ready to see an American foreign policy led by the net value of Musk, his worldview, and most of all his ego.

Musk's nine -digit investments for the Trump chosen have already benefited from Musk financially. Tesla's market cap leads $ 1 trillion And Musk's personal wealth increased to more than $ 300 billion immediately after Trump's victory. Investors rely on Musk companies that take advantage of access to Trump and have a good reason to believe that even US foreign policy will bend over to serve these corporate interests.

For years, Musk has managed to transfer US dollars to taxpayers to his business endeavors by painting his lower order as a public good. At the beginning of the Obama Administration, the Federal Government expanded a $ 465 million loan Tesla as part of its economic incentives and clean energy programs, helping the company move from the niche player to a major force in the automotive industry. In 2015 the Los Angeles Times documents almost $ 5 billion In government subsidies acquired by Musk companies, including Telsa and SpaceX, this number has only grown over time. For example, despite raised the tab For an undisclosed amount, after Musk has threatened to reduce the service.

But even these examples pale compared to the extent to which US foreign policy can be dictated by Musk's corporate interests forward. Against the background of European efforts to regulate the Musk X and Punish Musk Social Media Platform for non -compliance, Vice President JD Vance President suggested This continuing American support for NATO to be conditioned by Europe, which returns its efforts against X.

Musk has lobby Trump Administration Yes Kill a tax credit Of electric vehicles, a move that will strike to the US car manufacturers such as General Motors and Ford – helping Musk's own Tesla by injuring these competitors – and takes advantage of China, which already has a huge lead in the EV market , including a large part of Tesla production production.

Musk's influence on foreign policy can have a huge impact on areas of the world where Trump is simply uninterested. Take Africa to Subsahara, a region that Trump mostly ignores beyond the rejection of the parties there as “holes” and aimed at several of them with its so-called “Muslim Prohibition”. The Musk Starlink service is fast expansion throughout AfricaS This has increased internet access in a number of countries, but continuing expansion is facing regulatory obstacles. This is an area of ​​policy in which Musk could use the levers of American influence to put pressure on these governments to refuse to restore or regulate Starlink. Such a move would have both benefits and costs for the participating countries, expanding connectivity to their citizens, but potentially costs for telecommunications, if local suppliers were pushed out of business. But the benefits of Musk are clear and Musk is well -positioned to use his lever here and elsewhere in favor of his corporate empire.

Beyond the promotion of positions and policies that would increase its already massive net value, Musk also established an increasingly conservative political program that sometimes replaces his financial interests. Musk's impulsive purchase on Twitter seems to have been driven by his absolutist position on 'Free -speech“And his desire to own a platform where he can freely share his own opinions about the world. As Musk has turned to the final right in his own views, which he regularly shares on X, he has found a relative in Donald Trump. In recent months, Musk has been tweeting in favor of cutting foreign assistance and expressed skepticism at International contracts This “restricts the freedoms of Americans”, ideas that resonate with Trump.

Trump and Musk really share a tendency for being cozy on authorities and the far right. After defiling disputes regarding the day of entry into office, giving what it seemed like Nazi greetings -The entry that Musk subsequently mocked the online-millionaire appeared with a video of an event held by AFD's far-right party in Germany. Musk had previously had insist that “only AFD can save Germany.” Musk has supported in a similar way right -wing Opposition parties in countries such as the United Kingdom. In the past, Musk made statements peace Russian control over Crimea – apparently after Musk communicated with Putin on the subject – and Chinese ambitions to take control of Taiwan. Musk also develops a relationship with the right -wing president of Argentina Javier Miley, who has reduce the country's budget Undergoing inflation beyond control, but with the cost of rescuing GDP and increasing poverty. Musk sees Miley's policies as a model that must be duplicated in the United States. As for the alienation of longtime American allies and the marketing of autocrats and ideologues, Musk is ready to strengthen Trump's own trends.

But inventing the ideological direction that Musk will turn American foreign policy, it may not be the most appropriate framework for exploring its participation in the incoming administration. From the point of view of Musk, his concerns about the instructions that the world will take important issues such as war and peace seem to be less roots and more in the idea that he should be the one who leads these results. Musk is selfish; He wants to be the one who applies the great visions to the world, even if his mercury nature means that the content of these visions changes often.

See his participation in the war in Russia-Ukraine. Shortly after the Russian invasion of 2022. Musk challenged Vladimir Putin of A fist To resolve the problem. When this decision does not work, Musk voluntarily used the use of his Starlink services in Ukraine, giving the military military the necessary logistical rescue lines. But the donation of Musk from his satellite internet services to Starlink in Ukraine is not just an act of generosity or solidarity with Ukraine. More recently, this is part of Musk's more efforts to manage the conflict. This can be seen from Musk's decisions to restriction What can be used for Starlink – for the objections of the Ukrainian government and its military strategists. Moreover, according to messages, Musk is initially undisclosed conversation With Vladimir Putin and the businessman suggested undesirable. “peace plan“This was quickly rejected by Zelenski as a fondness of Russia.

In short, Musk unilaterally decided to get into as a major player in the war in Russia-Ukraine. After trying to manage the conflict as a private citizen, Musk's growing role as a quasi-government agent for Trump will only increase his sense of self-confidence in global issues.

As a businessman, Musk has accepted the approach to throwing a wide network, investing in everything-from electric vehicles to space trips to social media to create a large corporate hydra. When it enters politics, its unscrupulous Ministry of Efficiency of the Government is thought to have the entire federal government as its jurisdiction. Musk will probably adopt such a comprehensive opinion on foreign policy, entering into every situation in which he sees himself as smarter than experts.

And Trump, who appreciates the loyalty and wealth of powers when choosing his best helpers, seems to encourage this type excessive.

Musk met with Iran's ambassador to the UN in a conversation to reset relations between the two countries. This task is a high order after Trump allowed the murder of a senior Iranian general during his first presidency, and Iran authorized a conspiracy to kill Trump in revenge. Most administrations that seek to negotiate such a significant restart of bilateral relations with a major geopolitical enemy in the middle of the uncertain time for the Middle East would set the task of high-level professional diplomats rather than a mercury billionaire.

But Donald Trump is not most presidents, and Elon Musk is not most billionaires. The semi -isolated “Make America Great Again” Trump is only interested in the rest of the world, and Musk has great projects to process the world and Other worlds In addition, according to his own whims. Whether it is diplomacy in the Middle East, European conflict or African infrastructure, look for Elon Musk to claim that he knows best, with the weight of the US government now behind him.

The anger expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazee's editorial position.