Trump Signals a Future for Elon Musk in the White House

Donald Trump told a Reuters newsman connected Monday that he’d see ending the $7,500 taxation recognition for electric-vehicle purchases. He besides said he’d see appointing Tesla CEO and EV taxation recognition enjoyer, Elon Musk, to his furniture oregon immoderate different advisory position.

Trump was campaigning successful York, Pennsylvania erstwhile Reuters asked him astir having Musk go a portion of the administration.

“I would, he’s precise smart. I had a large speech with him the different day, arsenic you know, it went connected for 2-and-a-half-hours almost, possibly you listened, but he’s a precise astute guy. I surely would, if helium would bash it. I surely would. He’s a superb guy,” Trump said, delivering the benignant of rambling non-answer that’s not playing arsenic good successful 2024 arsenic it did successful 2016.

Musk ran with it connected X. “I americium consenting to serve,” helium said successful a joking station that featured a manipulated representation of himself lasting earlier a podium that reads “Department of Government Efficiency.”

The sanction comes from an offhand remark Musk made during his agelong speech with Trump connected X past week. “I deliberation it would beryllium large to conscionable person a authorities ratio committee that takes a look astatine these things and conscionable ensures that the payer money, their hard-earned money, is spent successful a bully way. And I’d beryllium blessed to assistance retired connected specified a commission. I’d emotion it if it were formed,” Musk said during the interview.

I americium consenting to service pic.twitter.com/BJhGbcA2e0

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 20, 2024

Trump was besides non-specific connected the contented of electrical conveyance taxation credits. The U.S. authorities presently offers a $7,500 taxation discount to anyone buying an electrical vehicle. It’s meant to incentivize radical to bargain electrical alternatively of carbon-spewing gas-powered cars which are a important contributing origin successful planetary warming.

When asked if he’d extremity the credit, Trump waffled. “We’re looking astatine that. That’s a large thing. But you cognize taxation credits and taxation incentives are not mostly a precise bully thing,” helium said.

The Trump-era taxation cuts were afloat of taxation incentives and credits. Famously, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act doubled the kid taxation credit.

“I americium not making immoderate last decisions connected it,” Trump said connected the EV taxation credit. “I’m a large instrumentality of electrical cars but I’m a instrumentality of gasoline-propelled cars and besides hybrids. And immoderate other happens to travel along. And you can’t mandate that you tin lone bargain an electrical car.”

Musk’s posts connected X focused connected the imaginary furniture presumption and not the taxation credits, a user inducement Tesla desperately needs. The institution has posted two consecutive quarters of losses. Tesla’s brand, acknowledgment successful portion to Musk’s antics, is poisoned. Parking tons afloat of Teslas sit unsold. Musk’s empire is 1 built connected tax incentives and authorities subsidies.

Yet Musk continues to play ideological footsie with the American right, a radical of radical who evidently bash not person the aforesaid semipermanent interests arsenic helium does. During their interrogation connected X, Musk pushed Trump connected sustainability and the environment.

Trump pushed the conversation, instead, toward atomic war. “The 1 happening I don’t recognize is that radical speech astir planetary warming, oregon they speech astir clime change, but they ne'er speech astir atomic warming,” Trump said, ignoring Musk’s precise existent concerns astir our warming planet.