Billionaire businessman Elon Musk has emerged as an ardent supporter of US President-elect Donald Trump in recent months.
In a speech on election night, Trump said that “a star” had been born in Elon Musk, describing the Tesla CEO as an “amazing guy.”
Trump had first revealed plans to appoint a “secretary of cost-cutting” during an interview in October. He also insisted that he would defer to Musk when it came to shutting down various agencies and essentially ‘trimming’ the government.
Earlier, Trump said, “He’s dying to do this. You know he’s a great business guy actually … and he’s a great cost-cutter. You’ve seen that. And he said: ‘I could cut cost without affecting anybody.’”
“He doesn’t want to be in the Cabinet, he just wants to be in charge of cost-cutting. We’ll have a new position, secretary of cost-cutting, Elon wants to do that”, he added.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has also teased the possibility of joining the new Cabinet.
He also claimed during a recent Trump election rally that the federal budget could be slashed by “at least” $2 trillion.
“America is a nation of builders. Soon, you will be free to build,” he assured in one social media post following the results.
If Elon Musk joins the United States government, he will be the latest in a succession of billionaire businesspeople to hold public office.
When will Donald Trump take oath?
The US Congress will be validating the electoral results on January 6, 2025.
Thereafter, the President-elect will be sworn in at the inauguration ceremony, which takes place on January 20, 2025.
The inauguration ceremony, which usually takes place two and half months after election day, starts with a procession to the Capitol, as per the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.
At first, the Vice President is required to recite his oath of office. Thereafter, the new President is sworn in at around noon, reports said.
